Desolate Blue
by GleekShip
Summary: Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.
1. Chapter 1

**Desolate Blue**

**Author: **GleekShip

**Spoilers:** AU. Only certain pairings still exist.

**Summary: **Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.

**Pairings: **Kurt/Puck

**Desolate Blue**

Kurt Hummel shuts his eyes and breathes in the ocean air that whistles past him along the deck of his boat. He can feel the sun shining brightly down on his face, the slight breeze tousling his hair, the cushion of his flip-flops forming perfectly around the bottom of his feet. It was the day . . . the perfect day. He breathes it all in . . . the freedom, the adventure. It was just something that you could feel . . . the air bringing in the new scents . . . the water carrying around old and long-forgotten stories . . . the bright sun showing off a new day . . . a new tale . . .

He gives his escape one last breath before opening his eyes. He smiles as he looks around his boat. The small two-Decker boat was designed and paid for by one Kurt Hummel, selling all of his clothes and using up all saved up money. The boat was a simple 32-foot vessel. A 2002 Nordic Tug. He's proud, actually. He was going off on his own, ignoring the complaints of others.

Kurt walks slowly across the top deck and stops at the latter leading down a few feet to the main floor of his boat. He looks over at the docks and sees his family coming forward. Kurt drifts his eyes to his father.

Burt Hummel was a successful member of the Ohio senate as well as the proud owner of a chain of _Hummel Tires and Lube_ that spread to over 2,000 stores across America. Despite health complications over the past few years, Burt had managed to stay a calm and loving father to Kurt. Kurt can't help but get a bit teary-eyed as he thinks back to how supportive and caring his father had been over the past few years.

His eyes slid to his fathers' wife, Carole. Back in high school, Kurt had drug his father to his audition for the local glee club. Ms. Hudson, as she was known back then, was there to watch her own son audition. They started talking and were married in less than eight months later. That's how Kurt got a half-brother.

Finn Hudson, the tall and lanky goofball of their high school, but that was years ago. Now Finn was engaged to his beautiful girlfriend of three years, having met in college. Even though he wasn't that smart, he was smart enough to fall in love with the idea of helping kids be more than the stereotype. By coming to agreements with several local schools, Finn now goes in with several other students to help children reach talents that they normally wouldn't reach due to the lack of funds that the school has.

Kurt smiles at his family as he steps over the edge of his boat, loving the way the boat shifts along the water, not tethered down, and onto the dock. While his mom and dad had been happy that he was doing what he wanted, they just expected more from him after he graduated college: Broadway or something in the music industry. Finn was the only one genuinely happy that he was going. Even though he's never said anything, he is still homophobic. Yep, that's right, Kurt Hummel is gay. It's not something he has really announced, but people have mainly assumed. And every single guy that Kurt had gotten close to in high school or college, Finn would end up throwing a tantrum until Burt and Carole were on his side. Burt said that Finn was just worried about his little brother, and he believed it for a bit, but seven years later and Finn was still the same. So yes, Kurt was positive his brother was a big homophobe.

Kurt stops in front of his family. The early morning sunrise making everyone appear tired, and if possible, even more solemn about Kurt's departure.

"Are you sure about this Kurt?" Burt asks again, for which Kurt hopes it the last out of the thousand times of that morning alone.

"I'm sure dad." Kurt nods and gives his dad his best smile. "And before you know it, I'll be back and returning to New York with a bit of life and traveling under my belt."

Burt reluctantly nods and lets out a sigh of defeat, knowing better than to argue with his son at this point. Kurt had been planning this since his winter vacation of his senior year at college. It took him a month to get all of his information together on where to get a boat for cheap, where to learn to drive the boat, and where he could get all supplies that he'd need. And as of one week ago, he had completed his one-month long training on how to drive, operate, fix, and completely take care of a ship in the same way a ten-man crew would, at least the basics of many of those things.

Kurt gives his dad another smile when the man seems to grow more tense and hesitant about Kurt's new adventure "It'll be fine dad." Kurt chuckles softly. "I'll be back in two weeks, three tops." He adds on with a sigh. "And you know I'll be stopping at plenty of places so I won't be out at sea all of the time."

"I know Kurt, but . . . it's just that you're growing up so fast and-"

"I know dad." Kurt laughs.

"And there is so much in life that I'd rather you experience first." Burt continues. "You may change your mind out there, with all of that time to think. What about your dreams of Broadway, or finally getting your first boyfriend there?"

"I'll still have them dad." Kurt says softly. "If anything, this trip will teach me even more so of how to be patient about things and to think things through. It's going to be one of the best experiences of my life."

Burt sighs and seems to accept this. Kurt glances the Carole. The woman that's been a mother to him for a good chunk of his life now, much longer than his real mother, but slightly shorter than his time alone with his single father. He gives her a small smile, which she returns kindly. Kurt barely registers the smile before she's pulling him into a hug. Kurt smiles into those familiar motherly arms, in fact, the only womanly arms that he ever feels.

He's always been lonesome in school. Even after high school and he moved to a bigger city, a big college, he still had very few friends. He kept himself occupied with his studies. Thanks to being alone, he had managed to become the valedictorian of his graduating class of both high school and college. And he had managed a few friends, but they had been nothing more than close acquaintances. People he had paired up with for projects, or had a study group with. Heck, he hasn't even had his first kiss yet and here he is, almost 21. Thanks to doubling up on classes since he had nothing important to do, besides a few assembly performances for his high school in glee club, to take up his spare time, he had managed to graduate high school, and college, each a year early. He was quite proud of that fact, especially since Finn still had one year left, only needing a three-year degree for his major of choice, not that Kurt really paid attention.

Carole runs her hand up and down Kurt's back one last time before pulling away, a few tears being held back in her eyes. Kurt's very aware of how much both of his parents had been crying once he told them his decision. Burt's main fear was that Kurt wouldn't be able to handle a ship solo. He was more than willing to hand out a couple thousand so Kurt could hire a crew, but Kurt wanted his first venture to be on his own. Oh he planned to go out more than once, several years if his schedule would allow it.

And Carole's fear was a more rational one, since Kurt had took his dad on a test drive to prove that he could operate everything that a boat would need. Carole's fear was that Kurt would end up getting lost at sea or even crashing and drowning. Both were more logical since he was heading out in late spring/early summer and just happened to choose a spot off the coast of the United States that was known for its unpredictable weather. Kurt had assured her that if he ran into any heavy weather, he would bunk up inside until he was able to call for help. She had even given Kurt a very long and detailed list of all the people that he should call for almost any situation. The one thing that he hadn't told her was that being in the middle of the ocean, his ships equipment wouldn't be strong enough to make contact with land, again depending on how far he was out. But he planned to go far. He just wanted to continue his voyage for as long as possible, but since his dad had made him promise to a time limit, he'd dock wherever he ended up, travel back to his family, pay to have his boat brought up as well, and then go on to New York and try and find a job that he could get with his multiple degrees.

Kurt looks to Finn next, knowing that he'd hug his dad last, his only flesh and blood left on this earth. Finn being Finn, the big lug had to be drug out this early morning to say goodbye to his step-brother. Sure he'd have to miss an early morning lunch date with his fiancé, but it's better to have a legit excuse to not show up, than be late with no excuse. Kurt raises an eyebrow and Finn finally sticks a hand out.

"Finnegan." Kurt smirks as the tall boys' mother reprimands him for being rude. "He's your brother. Now give him a hug. You won't be seeing him for a while."

"But mom." Finn groans, the same way he always does when he has to do anything involving Kurt. See, Kurt was right. Finn's a complete homophobe. "I don't want to-"

"Hug him." Kurt chuckles when his step-mother turns on her glare, a glare that he had managed to avoid the entire time he had known her by being as nice as possible.

Finn groans before reluctantly unfolding his arms from his body and holding them out awkwardly. Kurt sighs internally before stepping forward; reluctantly holding his arms out in the same awkward position is the tall buffoon in front of him. Kurt's eyes dash down as he sees Carole's hand lash out to give Finn a gentle, yet firm and commanding, push on the back. Kurt can feel Finn's reluctant and tense arms wrap around his body. He smiles when he realizes that Finn's big arm blocks out his view of the parents. He smirks as he wraps his arms and then tightens them around the taller boy. He can feel the boy tense in his arms and it only makes him feel better.

"Feel so good." He lets out in a soft breathy tone just for Finn, messing with him.

It works when Finn quickly jumps back. "Dude." He practically screeches his voice louder than normal as it echoes across the early calm waves. "What are you-" He looks down at Kurt's crotch and sees nothing that would indicate that Kurt had gotten hard from their little encounter.

He looks up to see Kurt smirking. He would say something, but they both know that Carole would get onto Finn, and as of recent, it seems that she's been noticing more and more homophobic remarks. Kurt's secretly hoping that he'll come back and Finn will be kicked out on the streets for being an insufferable homophobic dunce. He's been getting closer over the past few months at creeping Finn out just so both of his parents will finally understand what his step-brother truly is. He's sure that the boy will slip up one day and show his true colors. Maybe then, that too-good-of-a-fiancé will finally leave Finn.

Kurt turns his eyes away from Finn's dark eyes and meets the concerned eyes of his parents. He ignores Carole's questioning face and moves to stand in front of his father. The mans old eyes gaze into his sons, trying to convey his pride for the boy, his concern and even some regrets in life that he had no hadn't been able to make Kurt happier. Kurt's eyes are only showing the reassurance and love that he cares. He knows his dad did the best he could in life, but it was his choice to stand to the side, alone in the world, friendless and going at life solo. It was his choice, even if his dad didn't want it to be so.

Understanding is suddenly exchanged between their eyes before both men have their arms open and around each other. Kurt hugs tight onto his dad. He knows that this isn't a real goodbye, but he'll be gone on his venture for an extended amount of time, alone, and completely separated from the world. Kurt smiles into his dads neck, knowing that he's finally his own person, making his own choices, not having to take anyone else into consideration. So he decides to bask in the warmness that only a parent could provide, a father. The warmness that lets him know that he will always have a home to return to, a family, a place to be himself. But he was never himself around anyone. No one's ever seen that. Small fractions, so small that the surface wasn't even scratched, only breathed upon. He himself has never fully seen himself, not knowing his true strengths since he never pushed himself in more than academics, or his any of his true desires in life . . . except one. This one, to journey away and to test himself, to see how far he can be pushed by nature.

Kurt lets out a shaky breath before pulling away from his dad, feeling his dads reluctant arms drop from his body. Kurt gives his dad one last pat on the shoulder before pulling away completely. He gives his dad a small smile before stepping away so he can view his entire, small family. Two loving sets of eyes stare him down, along with one set of uncaring, and almost hating eyes. Probably beyond hating if Kurt knew anything.

"Well . . ." He purses his lips and gulps. "I . . . my goal to leave is in five-" Kurt looks down at his watch to make sure before looking back up. "I . . . I'm going to just go-just go ahead and go." He bites his lip, knowing that he sounds sad to leave, but he's just trying to find a nice way to tell them to screw off and let him leave without being rude. He lets out another shaky breath as he steps back again. "So . . . bye." He knows his words are coming out awkward, but he just wants to leave already.

Burt chuckles and nods at his son, a strange sad smile settling upon the old and experienced face. Kurt lets his hands drop to his sides, trying to discretely wipe the sweat off onto his black Cherokee cargo shorts. He smiles when he sees none of the sets of eyes glance to his hands, even though he's sure Carole could see in her general view because she gives him a small smile. Kurt purses his lips into an awkward smile before turning around to look at his boat.

He's not nervous; he's really not, just . . . impatient, or even restless, in a way. He really can't wait for this to start. And start it shall. His awkward smile slowly becomes confident and wide as he steps up to the edge of his vessel. He runs his soft and now sweat-free hands along the edge of his precious purchase, costing far beyond a pretty penny, but it doesn't matter to him. He can practically hear and feel the ship purring under his fingertips before he brings them up to grab a hold of the metal ladder. He uses his rather impressive muscles, even if it doesn't look like he has much, and pulls himself up and over with one arm, his feet landing with a thud on the other side. The smile seems to grow on his face as he makes his way over cockpit, taking a step down and under the roof of the ship, a little platform that he can stand upon if he wants to. Heck, he can do anything he wants to on this ship; he paid for it in full.

He busies himself with flipping the right levers, pushing the right buttons, just smiling as he remembers all of this training. As of now, it's all instinct, basic memory to his fingers, his general motor skills. He had made sure that he would know everything, never throwing himself so much into anything as much as he did when he was learning everything about boats. He wanted to be a master at it, a major accomplishment for him.

The vessel hums to life, a slight vibration echoing through the body. He runs his fingers lightly across the plastic covered wheel, closing his eyes as he feels the vibrations pad lightly against his fingers, creating that light tingling that course through his body.

He pulls down the lever that allows his boat to take off. He quickly feels the wind hit his face the jolt of energy forcing his body back and adrenaline to pump into his veins. He smiles as he looks back, seeing his family waiting on the docks, only two hands waving back and forth just for him. He releases one hand to wave back for . . . two . . . one . . . alright his hands back on the wheel and he's looking forward, his eyes slightly closed, the breeze against his face.

He takes a breath, feeling the sea air fill his nostrils. He holds that breathe until he opens his eyes, seeing the wide sea and literally facing the world. He smiles wide, ready to go to any place he can find . . . uncharted islands, Atlantis, or even the next port to dock. He's just finally happy, for the first time, he's truly happy, and these wide waters will give him a chance to finally get to know himself . . . to follow his heart.

* * *

So, welcome to my first AU. A complete new universe. Lots of things will be different, so don't expect characters to be the same. But I'm hoping that you give me and this story a chance. But I have this story mapped out and mostly written, but I will be posting weekly so it's nice and spread out.

Also, this is a new multi-chapter story that I've decided to release on my anniversary date. I'm hoping to update this story at least once a week.


	2. Chapter 2

**Desolate Blue**

**Author: **GleekShip

**Spoilers:** AU. Only certain pairings still exist.

**Summary: **Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.

**Pairings: **Kurt/Puck

**Desolate Blue**

Kurt lets out another happy sigh as he takes a step down the few steps leading to the cabin of his vessel. He only takes that one step before stopping and looking back out to the sea, a quick new love of his. He had only been out on the open sea for three or four hours. He had stopped using his engine on full after twenty minutes, just long enough to make the land and figures a distant view to match his memory. Now, he could only see ocean, miles upon miles of it. He could only hear the last gentle purrs of his engine still fading out along with the soft and small waves hitting the edge of his vessel.

He smiles at the open sea before opening the small door in place before him and stepping into the cabin of the ship. He smiles as he steps into the updated interior to the semi-older ship. The base surface of the interior is a beautiful golden-brown wood with a series of small windows decorating the sides, giving Kurt a lovely view of the deck of his boat and the calming sea around him.

His cabin is almost like a mini-kitchen/living room. He has the small dinner table with a booth seat in case he wanted to bring along friends, but this boat was only built for one, him. Above the booth and a few cushions are a couple of drawers the lifted up so Kurt could store things in them. Now not even a foot away was Kurt's tiny kitchen, well tiny for a big family. It was perfect to move around in. A tiny mini-fridge was under the counter right next to the small staircase. Kurt only had stocked the thing full of meat. Everything else was non-perishable, and to be honest, he had fit every possible space on board with canned goods, or loaves of bread or the like so he could be gone for as long as possible before he absolutely needed to go back. He had enough food to last him at least a good month if he ate a portion-sized meal, three times a day, but he knew that that wasn't going to happen. He planned on making a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before going to relax on the deck, stripped down to his swimming trunks so he could try tanning for a change.

On top of the counter above the mini-fridge was a collection of pots and pans that he had tied in with the rope that came with the ship. it was actually part of the ship and you only had to stretch it over the small area and boom, your pots and pans are secure. The rest of the counter top was relatively clear at this point, minus the stove which had been placed in the middle of the counters, separating them into two pieces. Before the stove, several cabinets are lined up under the counter until they stop by the mini-fridge. These were full of cups, plates, and silverware. He had only kept a few other things like tape, trash bags, plastic bags. The rest of the cabinets were packed to the brim with more food. He wasn't lying when he said he filled every spot with what he could.

The oven itself was nothing special. It ran on the small amount of electricity that came from the motors. As long as he didn't use it too often, he wouldn't have to go get more gas. But the stove top was glass, which Kurt preferred because it was easier to wipe any mess off of.

On the wooden floor was a piece of carpet of Kurt's own choosing, and surprising to everyone else. It was a carpet of deep, red-blood velvet. The touch alone was enough to make Kurt shiver and let out a soft moan at it's touch. The bristles in the carpet were so soft and light, that it made Kurt feel like he was back home, walking around in his yard. It was a way for him, if he needed it, to use as a piece of home in case he became homesick on this short voyage.

Kurt smiles as he steps into the bright living space, a slight tingling running through his body as his feet make contact and love with that carpet. He had left his shoes in the cabin long ago, only going to need them if the surface of the boat became too hot to walk on. He had kicked his sandals off into the cabin only an hour ago before racing back up to drive some more. The feeling of having nothing between the natural world, the wind, the sun, and him . . . it made him smile. The less he wore, the more he'd feel like he was actually finding himself and enjoying his vacation. One promise he had made to himself however was to not go skinny-dipping or sunbathe nude. He didn't want to risk anything attacking him in the water, or get to burnt around his crotch so it would hurt to pee. That would ruin his vacation in a heartbeat. No, he planned on covering up that part of his body. The rest of his body would be tanned if he had anything to say about it. He smiles as he steps up to the doorway that leads into his bedroom. The small room was situated as the very front corner of the ship.

The room is pretty made up of the biggest bed that could be fit in there. The mattress itself filled out until it hit the walls. One top of the mattress is a dark blue comforter set. Kurt had chose it because he wanted to feel like he was sleeping in the ocean inside the boat. He had a back up comforter set, a red one, that he'd switch out after the first week in case the blue one starts to smell. And even though Kurt wanted a bunch of pillows, he didn't think it'd be to safe down there. He could trip or something. There were two small windows on either side of the doorway so Kurt could see out, but Kurt didn't want to risk falling into one and breaking it, no matter how durable he was told they'd be. So the pillows were narrowed down to four, enough to sleep comfortably on. On either side of the bed were a few cabinets. As tempted as he was to stuff them with even more food, he had filled it with enough clothes that he'd need, mainly shirts and shorts. He brought a few jeans in case it got cold, but it didn't seem likely. Other objects in the bedroom cabinets included his iPod, loaded with so many songs in every genre, and a few books. He really didn't need much. Underneath bed, the mattress, was something that Kurt made sure he had, an emergency life raft. He didn't think that he'd run into any trouble and need it, but it's better to be safe. And against his wishes, his dad had chipped in some so it would inflate and be big enough to hold 15 people. Kurt said he didn't need it, but his dad insisted that he'd want to be able to move around, or get enough food on there. It's better than nothing.

Next to him in the short hallway was the bathroom, a small room, but substantial enough for Kurt and his small amount of supplies he'd need for a shower and to dispose of bodily fluids. The tile that covered the floor was a dark brown, nice enough to watch the wooden floor of the ship. The interior of the single shower was a dark blue. Kurt had originally chuckled at the idea of having the blue design, but he liked it once he saw the complete product. Even the towels that he had hanging up along with the matching toilet seat and small rug were a deep blue.

Kurt lets out a breathy moan as he arches his back and hears it pop. A shiver runs through his body as he relaxes. Even though it's been a stressed-filled couple of weeks, getting everything together for his trip. He's truly relaxed right now. A few hours on the ocean, no electronics or distractions, no worries. Kurt steps towards his bed and just falls forward on it, feeling the silky blanket his his face, his chest through his unbuttoned shirt, the soft bed moving up around his body, forming perfectly. He turns his head on the bed so he can breathe and lets out a sigh of content.

His boat is rocking comfortably and smoothly on the open water, no big movements. Kurt glances out the window to the side and smiles. He's finally done it. He's out here, on his own. His eyes slowly drift shut as the natural world around him rocks his body into unconsciousness . . . so peaceful . . . so calm.

* * *

Kurt's eyes shoot open as he hears a few thuds echo through his boat. Over the few minutes he had been sleeping, he had flipped over to his back. He shakes his head as he sits up before his eyes narrow. It hadn't been a few minutes, it had been hours. Darkness had filled the vessel, creating an almost pitch dark environment since their are no natural lights on the open sea, nix the moon and stars. Kurt hears the thuds again and this time he understands them: the ship was tilting back and forth at a quick fluid-like pace. Kurt scrambles forward out of the bed, his entire face flushed with concern.

Once he enters the kitchen and the thudding becomes louder. Even though he had packed every cabinet to the brim before locking the door into place, but now everything in those confined spaces were shifting loudly. Kurt quickly moves through the kitchen, listening, and hearing a sputtering sound.

"God no."

He pushes through the small kitchen, which takes a bit because of the unbalanced and moving ship on top of that carpet that he thought was perfect, and pushes open the door leading out onto the main deck. He's met with a face-full of water. He holds his hand up to cover his eyes. He blinks out the water before taking in the storm, it's not a bad one, but still a steady downpour. And to add on top of that, the ocean itself is quite angry, making the boat become unbalanced.

"Damn it."

Kurt slams the door behind him to keep water out of the cabin. He moves the few feet to the side and grabs hold of the ladder to pull himself up to the upper level where the control are. He's happy that he had a roof put on this small section, otherwise the controls would be soaked and probably be frying and popping and electrocuting him to death. The small windows put in make a good wind and rain barrier.

Kurt examines the controls, making sure everything is still going smooth. He knows that it's no use trying to cruise through this storm because he doesn't even know where the nearest piece of land is. He reaches over and taps the sonar monitor, hoping that it might do something, but it doesn't. It's still showing that he's nowhere near land. Kurt reaches over to his hand-held radio, wanting to call out for some coordinates to the nearest place to dock, but is met with static. Kurt slams the radio back down and groans. His hands clench along the edge of the control panel as he looks around. He purses his lips.

"Wait it out Kurt. It's not the bad. The storm will settle. Just make sure that anything loose gets tied down." Kurt mutters to himself, running through a mental checklist. "Just a few things in the kitchen. Everything in the bedrooms fine. I have plenty of food in case this lasts awhile. I have plenty of-" Kurt cuts himself off as his eyes land on the fuel gauge. "Damn it." He swears when he sees the gauge has dropped significantly since earlier.

He flicks the glass over the gauge and it doesn't move. Kurt's eyes widen and he turns around. He runs over to the edge of the level and steps down onto the ladder and into the rain. He keeps his grip tight on the wet ladder as he lowers himself down, not wanting to slip or anything. That would be beyond bad, especially out here where he's alone. Kurt turns on his feet once he steps onto the deck. The rain seems to have lightened up, but his problem isn't water anymore. He carefully makes his way across the short distance to the back of his vessel. He slides to his knees and carefully peers over to see the very back of the ship. Even though it's dark, there's enough reflection from the moonlight to see a series of liquid coming from under the boat, the gas.

"Jesus Christ." Kurt pulls back with a groan. He falls into the corner of the ship and reaches up to run his hands through his wet hair. "Jesus freakin Christ." Kurt lifts his knees up and props his elbows up on them, both hands yanking on his hair as it rains down on him. "Damn it Kurt. You weren't ready for a hole in the gas tank. How on earth did a hole get in there?" Kurt pulls his hand free from his hair and looks up at the rain, thinking. "I'm not near anyplace to hit anything underwater, unless it happened when I was docked. I guess that explains why I'm almost out. I guess getting the double-tank was a good thing." Kurt groans before letting his head fall back onto the edge of the boat, his eyes fluttering as the raindrops hit his eyes, a small smile suddenly settling on his face. "This would be the perfect moment to say "Ef . . . my life."

Kurt sighs before placing his hands on the slippery edges and heaving himself up, keeping himself steady on his feet, not wanting to risk slipping and falling off. He starts and quickens his stride over to the ladder again and heaves himself up carefully to the control panel again. He purses his lips as he steps up to the equipment, his brain racing, trying to find a solution to his suddenly major problem. His eyes dart back and forth before he steps up to the sonar again, only see the rotating line and nothing else. Kurt groans and grabs onto the control panel, propping himself up as he stares down, tears burning in his eyes.

"Please." He mutters has his eyes so glance to other nautical devices. "Give me something . . . otherwise I'm stranded out here and I'll be more than just emotionally lost." Kurt glances back to the sonar in front of him and a shuddery gasp breaks his wet lips. "Oh thank god." Kurt straightens up as a small edge appears on the sonar, the boat must have just drifted close enough to be picked up. Kurt nods to himself before turning on the boat. "Come on. Lets use the last bit of gas I have to get there."

A smile breaks on Kurt's face as he realizes that he'll be okay, there will always be a way to continue.

Kurt's smile quickly breaks as his eyes widen slightly and a shuddery gasp escapes his lips as he spots a formation in the distance, through the once thinning rain, and now a light mist. All he can see is that the island must have high cliffs of some sort, or a mountain in the middle. Kurt smiles before risking a glance down. As with every time that he's glanced down at the fuel gauge, his hopes have dropped. The small line is dropping faster and faster with every minute, every second, emptying the double-fuel tank of its flammable contents.

Kurt lets out a panicked groan as he looks back up to the approaching piece of land, just not as fast as it had approached due to the vessel trying to use every fume of gas it can before dying. He flexes his fingers over the clutch before slowly pressing forward, wanting to go faster instead of at a steady pace. He'd run out of gas either way, and at least this way, he'll be close enough to try to swim, or possibly even row his way to the island. It may sound unrealistic, but Kurt was determined. In the case that he didn't make it to the island, he wasn't just going to leave his vessel to float alone on the open waters. He'd rather just stay on the vessel and eat through his supplies and then swim to the island instead.

His heart shutters as soon as he feels a shuttering jolt shift through the ship.

"Damn it." Kurt swears as he looks back up, his eyes widening.

The islands coming in rather quickly now thanks to the tide and his once speeding, but now rapidly dying vessel. Kurt's eyes widen slightly as he notices that the side of the land that he's heading towards, is mainly cliffs. His eyes dart back and forth, only noticing one safe spot to land.

"Damn." Kurt swears again. "I'm coming in too fast."

Kurt's eyes begin analyzing his options and no matter what, he won't be able to turn the boat in time to avoid the cliffs, the towering cliffs.

* * *

So, a cliffhanger and a more narrow scope of what will be happening with the story. So let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy and leave a review.


	3. Chapter 3

**Desolate Blue**

**Author: **GleekShip

**Spoilers:** AU. Only certain pairings still exist.

**Summary: **Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.

**Pairings: **Kurt/Puck

**Desolate Blue**

Kurt braces himself for impact. He quickly pushes himself away from the main panel, his heart pounding in his ears. He looks around for something, anything, that can be used to help with this situation in the slightest. His eyes narrow on a small crate box full of miscellaneous stuff that he or his dad thought might be necessary: duck-tape, fishing nets, twine, bungee cords, and rubber bands.

Kurt scrambles across the cabin and pulls the crate out from under the control panels. His fingers fly through the contents, ignores the pain when a few loose hooks on the fishing net pierce his soft and pale skin. A brief smile of relief flashes on his face as he pulls out a tangle of bungee cords. His face scrunches up and he bites his lip as he pulls the flexible strips apart until he has two strands of bungee out of the tangle. He kicks the crate back under the panel and stumbles to his feet, almost slipping at the trails of water that's made it into the cabin from the recent storm combined with the wind.

He grabs on the wheel and turns it as fast as he can to the left before it can't turn anymore and is locked their in his hold. He loops one end quickly of the bungee cord around the wheel and pulls down as hard as he can to make sure that the wheel doesn't swing back into place. He stretches the bungee cord as much as he can and reaches back to hook it to the metal leg that helps hold the boats control panel up. He smiles briefly at his quick handiwork that will make the ship continue to return. Now there's a slightly wider margin of the boat not crashing into the cliff, but Kurt can't count on that and he's not getting his hopes up.

He makes sure the bungee cord is as tight as possible before he scrambles to his feet and peers out at the ocean and the land form that he's quickly approaching. Luckily his ship had began to turn a bit, but he's still heading towards the giant rocks that surround the base of the land form. Kurt curses internally as he looks around for anymore ideas. The bungee cord gives him more room to focus on the inevitable and the prevention of it, but it's not going to help him in the end.

Kurt's eyes dart back and forth, looking for a way out. This is reality so he knows there's not one; not that he can see anyways. His hands clench on the edge of the control panel as he tries to control his breathing. He's thankful that for the most part the storm has calmed down so therefore the rain has, but the waves are still rocking his boat, the night is as dark as ever with only the moon and his boat emitting light, and his ship is almost out of gas which is directing him towards the land form.

Kurt lets out a shaky breath before pushing away from the control panel. He keeps his pace slow, but quick so he doesn't slip. His eyes have adjusted to the darkness by now, so he's able to turn with ease and step back down onto the ladder. He makes his descent quick before stepping onto the main landing, holding onto the ladder for support. He can feel his adrenaline and overall energy slowly leaving his body after being there for so long. It doesn't help that his high spirits from going out on his first voyage had took up the first half of his adrenaline.

He takes one last look at the land form. With the night as dark as it is, he can't see how high it extends into the sky. He himself can barely see the edge of the land. The closest thing to him are several giant boulders protruding from the water grave that will most likely kill any swimmer or vessel that gets too close. His eyes sweep to the sides. He thinks he can see flat land, or a beech of some sort, but he can't be sure. Luckily for him his boat is still making a hard left to he might have a chance. Even if it isn't high, it's still a chance.

Kurt pushes from the ladder and goes to the little door that leads down to his living quarters below. He makes sure the door is secured behind him before going further in. He stops in the small kitchen and looks around. This place is a murder zone waiting to happen. He quickly approaches all of cabinets around the appliances and start pushing quickly on them to make sure that each of them are locked. He mentally checks that off of his rapidly growing to do list as he crosses the small room to check the cabinets around the table. He doesn't waist the time with his check list anymore. He pushes away from the table and scrambles his way to his room on board. The bed is still a mess from is too long of a nap. Kurt drops to his knees in front of the bed and pulls the latched area open. The first thing he sees is the emergency life raft. His shaky hands reach in and pull the large deflated craft out. The bundle seems lightweight now that he has adrenaline in his veins. He takes the thing out and turns around. He gives it a quick fling and swing it into the kitchen. He's about to take a breath when the boat gives is rocked to the left.

Kurt quickly drops to the ground for protection. The boat begins rocking faster as he crawls his way through the hallway. His fingers feel up the soft carpet and it seems to calm him somewhat, but that's only wishful thought. He reaches the bundle and drags it over to the small table. Kurt makes sure it's in there in case he needs it, which is looking more and more likely by each passing second.

Kurt goes to stand up, but then the bolt jolts and Kurt falls back to his hand and knees. Kurt quickly crawls over to the emergency life raft and fits himself around it. Once he stops moving, his panic sets in. His body starts shaking, going numb, his breathing speeds up. Kurt pulls his knees up to his chest and lets his head fall onto them. He's officially starting to panic now that the adrenaline is leaving his system.

He can feel himself shaking, but he has no inclination to try and control himself. His family, at least the ones that cared, had the right no be worried now. They turned out to be right. he's just one small boy who shouldn't have tried to go on this grand voyage. This entire thing has turned into something that he can't handle. It's beyond his control. Kurt feels his bottom lip tremble as he brings his hands together. It feels like this is the moment, the moment that he's losing control. Of everything. Of life. He's always had some control over his life, even if others have tried to control it. Heck, his own control had led him into this exact situation where he's lost control. Maybe he should just give up control.

Kurt groans and he feels a tear leak down his cheek. It's the first time he's cried in a long time, probably the first time since his mother had died. It does help somewhat that he's always been able to fight and keep his strength up against the people that. He's also never been alone that much outside of sleeping. His family and few friends or activities have made sure of that.

He barely gets to think anymore before the boat gives one last jolt and his head hits the underside of the table and he loses his vision.

* * *

Kurt slowly opens his eyes. He winces in pain before lifting his hand up. He jumps slightly as he feels a bruise there. He glances up and sees the table and nods. Of course that was bound to happen. He moves his head so he can relax it on the cushioned seat. He lets his eyes look around to the calm area and his eyes finally land on the emergency life raft. His eyes widens and he quickly moves out of from underneath the table.

He scrambles to his feet and takes a quick glance around. All of the cabinets have managed to hold everything within them. Kurt looks to the door leading onto the deck and see the dark sky out through the window. He slowly waits a second. No rocking boat. No sinking boat. No noise besides the wind and the sound of some waves against the boat, but he's still not moving.

Kurt gulps as he slowly makes his way through the kitchen area. He stumbles to the door and pulls it open so he can step out. He's met with the dark clear night, almost morning. Kurt looks around and sees that his boat is on land. Land! Kurt's legs almost collapse out from under him as he looks at the dark land form in front of his eyes. He blinks a few times and lets his eyes make out the various objects on the land: trees, grass, a long beach the stretches into the distance, and many many rocks.

Kurt grabs onto the nearby ladder for support before he lowers himself so he can sit down comfortably. His head is still throbbing from getting bumped and being unconscious for the few past minutes. Since he can't hear any rushing water or the boat is tilting, he's able to relax a bit more knowing that he's not sinking. His last minute maneuvers with his ship had enabled him to surprisingly, almost to the point of improbability, steer his ship until he hit land. Kurt lets the back of his head rest against the silver railing. A relieved smile breaks on his face and a shaky breath breaks his lips. He opens his mouth to breath in the salty air. His nose twitches when he smells something that doesn't belong out here in the middle of nowhere, but he can't place it exactly. It just feels nice to be out of the eye of that storm and the threat of possibly dying.

He's going to have one heck of a story to tell once he gets back home. Maybe this will get him enough money to where he can become financially dependent without the help of his fathers money. It wouldn't be like him to sell a story of some of his life for a few bucks, but a sailor lost at sea and returning is enough to get plenty of money-paying tabloids interested to an extent. A few interviews maybe? Yeah. If he ever leaves this place, wherever it is, then he plans on trying this out. It'll be nice to do what he wants for a change without having to worry about upsetting his father and losing his funds. He only uses his funds for school anyway, but they're still there.

Kurt sighs as he looks around to take in more of his surroundings. He can easily see the towering collection of tries on the land, an island it must be now that his mind is thinking more clearly. The trees themselves are quite taller than the ones that he's used to seeing back home. These ones are unaffected by pollution or deforestation. They stand tall and proud, a few of the having actually formed around each other once high in the air. Years upon years multiplied by however long the first seed had befallen this piece of land, they've continued to grow.

The cliff is rather high as well, but several of the trees are easily able to match the high and beyond. The cliff must be the one that Kurt had seen when he first saw the island. The things towers over the open water and several sharp rocks that protrude from the depths of the roaring sea.

But beyond these two sights, Kurt doesn't see much. The beach, that he's figured his boat to have come rest upon, is just that. It extends out of Kurt's night vision and seems to be nothing special. He comes to the conclusion that this land is just that of a jungle and probably a few mini-mountains, that is if the island is that big. It's hard to tell when he can only see two things at this point.

Now his mind starts struggling with what he should do. Now that he knows he's not sinking, at least as far as he knows, then he's safe to stay on the boat. The should provide him protection against the natural elements of the world as well as the new ones that the island brings. He'd get out to check the damage on his vessel, but he decides to wait until morning where he can see his surroundings a bit more clearer.

The other option would be to check the damage tonight and to make sure that all is good on his vessel. That would lead to stumbling in the dark and possibly tripping and hurting himself more so than he already had with a head injury. It would also leave him open to a field of interactions of wildlife from the island, not that there would be any. He'd be surprised if there was, but you never know.

Kurt lets out a shaky breath before pulling himself to his feet via help from the metal ladder. He wants to go back inside of this boat and lock the doors even more than ever now. Now that the pain in his head has slowly went down, he can hear the new land even more so: the quiet sway of the many trees in the wind, the sound of the various insects hidden in the depths, the sound of the small waves moving up onto the shore and creating new imprints with each repetition. The sounds would normally sound calming to him, but it's not out here when the noises don't belong to a movie or sound CD.

Kurt goes to go into the cabin for the night, but he stops when he sees something in the wilderness of the island. He squints his eyes habit, unsure of the site. All he sees are two quick flashes of light, almost like little stars in the distance. They disappear quickly only to appear a few seconds later to the right. They keep moving in and out of the trees, getting closer to Kurt and his vessel. Kurt blinks briefly and suddenly the two twinkling lights are under the edge of the trees dark shadow.

Kurt moves forward on the boat slowly. He lets his hands grip the edge of his boat as he peers out. He holds his breath as he leans forward to see the lights more. Slowly the edging of a face appears, a fury face at that. Kurt's eyes widen as he hears a low growl Suddenly from the depths of the trees and Kurt stares into the twinkling eyes of some big cat.

Kurt blames the moon on this one. That's the only reason the twinkle in the eyes of the cat exists. If Kurt were to be asked later, he would have just said lion. However, it could easily be a bobcat or an extremely rabid coyote. How the animal had survived on that island this long, or had even gotten here, was beyond Kurt's comprehension at this point.

Adrenaline floods through his system as Kurt pushes from the railing and drops to his knees. He doesn't want to be seen or heard, so he tries to stifle his movement by moving extremely slowly away from the railing of the boat. It's not like he thinks the animal can jump up the side of the boat, which is at least 8ish or so feet from the very bottom to the base of the deck, but he doesn't want to take any chances. Knowing his luck, these animals on this island have adapted to to jumping high and shredding the pieces of moving flesh that they can get their claws onto die to lack of imported meats.

Kurt hears a loud roar before a thunk hits his boat followed by a few claw marks. He was spotted and that's why the attack starts. He peaks up and looks over the railing. He can see something rush from the trees before he hears one final thunk. He can hear the animal let out a whimpering cry before it's vocals cease to exist. Kurt's eyebrows furrow, wondering what could have caused that whimper.

Kurt lets out a shaky breath before rising to his feet. His heartbeat pounds in his ears as he steps forward to sustain his sudden curiosity. As he approaches the edge of the boat, a gasp leaves his lips and it's repeated with several others. On the ground, standing over the dead animal's bloody corpse, are three faces looking up at him.

* * *

Sorry for the long hiatus. I truly didn't mean it. Life caught up and took over to where I was barely able to do my other stories. I promise to try and deliver a chapter every 1-2 weeks and make this into a long-term project. Once the summer hits I might be able to deliver a lot more often. :) So let me know what you think of this one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Desolate Blue**

**Author: **GleekShip

**Spoilers:** AU. Only certain pairings still exist.

**Summary: **Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.

**Pairings: **Kurt/Puck

**Desolate Blue**

Kurt stares at the faces and they stare back. Both sides refuse to blink, refuse to let this shocking and surprising moment go. Kurt doesn't know what to do, so he quickly pulls back until the boat blocks those faces from view. He's really freaking out now. Why would there be people on an island that seems abandoned? That doesn't make any sense and it's throwing Kurt's mind through a loop. Are they part of the native group? Have they gone wild? What if they try to kill him? His boat is only so tall and they could easily find a way to climb on board if they really wanted to.

He hears a throat clear. "Hey. Hey dude up there. Sorry for scaring you. You surprised us just as much." Kurt slowly starts moving forward again. "We've just been out here hunting and came across this beauty down here." Kurt shivers at the thought of that giant beast being a beauty. "Can you . . . can you at least come talk to us? We haven't seen another person in years."

Kurt's ear perk up at this. The voice from down below becomes silent. Kurt lets out a shaky breath before taking another slow step forward.

"So you're not cannibals are you?" Kurt asks slowly.

The voices all share a quick chuckle before the same voice responds. "No. It's a rather long story. Like really long."

Kurt purses his lips as he continues to approach the edge of the boat slowly. "So what are you guys then? Are you like the lost boys? Do you know anyone named Wendy?"

He hears a snort and a few chuckles and he can't help but smile. "No. At least not here. Now can you come down dude? It's kind of refreshing to hear a new voice and I know it'd be refreshing to see someone new."

Kurt sighs before stepping up to the edge and peering down. He's met with those dark and disguised faces again. He can't see much, but he's able to make the forms of the people out somewhat. They all seem to have different body types, but he wouldn't hold himself to that until he saw them in proper light.

"Who . . . who are you guys? Did I happen to get stranded on an island that's actually connected to some mainland?" Kurt asks nervously, even though he tries to fight to keep it out of his voice and fails.

He can mainly only see a faint glimmer of their eyes thanks to the little amount of the light that the sky provides. He can see the uncomfortable shift of their eyes looking down or to the side. He knows that it's either something that he'll regret asking about, or it's just something that they don't want to talk about. He can see the vague outlines of their faces tighten a bit.

Kurt reaches up and runs his hand through his hair. "Sorry if you don't want to talk about it. You don't even know me. I'm just . . . I don't know what to do here. I thought I was stranded out here and now I find three men marching out of the forest after killing a giant mountain beast that could have shredded up my boat even more so than I'm sure it is already now."

"Easy dude." The voice chuckles up at him. "We're just as surprised as you. We haven't seen a new face in . . . in a while."

"I can't believe that people are here." Kurt lets out a shaky breath, relieved. "I truly thought I was stranded."

"Well we know the feeling." The voice comes out a little rough before they clear their throat. "But like I said, we're happy to see a new face. Everyone else won't believe us."

"Everyone?" Kurt mutters under his breath. "So-"

"Does this thing run?" Another voice comes from one of the three. "Like we actually have a chance of leaving?"

"Finally." Kurt finally hears the third voice. "It's about time."

"I can't wait-"

"No." Kurt cuts the excited voices off. "I've been here for a few hours at least, knocked out for a few." Kurt can almost hear the anger and sudden sadness that return to the men below. "I was about to check out some of the damage to the boat when that-" Kurt points down to where he can see some of the blood shining from the beach. "And you guys showed up. I know I had a bit of a rough time coming to a stop. I won't know the extent of the damage until morning."

He can hear the disappointment that is unspoken, but speaks volumes, and he's sad that he can't do anything. After all, he had managed to be 'saved' by stumbling across an island, of possibly many in the area, that had life. It doesn't matter how long they were there, just that they were. Sure he should be fearful of them being strangers, but the chance for them to help each other get off this godforsaken rock is enough for Kurt to feel a connection of familiarity.

"It doesn't matter guys." The first voice cuts his thoughts, the one that's been speaking most of the time to Kurt. "This is a chance. We haven't had a chance like this since we've been here. It's . . . it's something that I thought would never have happened. Hey, dude." Kurt nods, letting the voice know that his attention belongs to him. "Are you planning on staying here tonight? Because not trying to be weird, but it would be awesome if you came back with us." Kurt's eyes widen at the straightforwardness. "Cause like, no one will ever believe us that we found someone, or that we possibly have a way off this place."

"You're freaking him out, dude." Kurt's face must not have been calm like he had hoped as the second voice interrupts the first voice. "He doesn't even know us."

"I-"

"It's fine." Kurt cuts the first voice off. "It would be nice to . . . you guys did kill that thing for me. If you need me for proof to give hope, then I'm all game. And that sure does beat being out here alone."

"That's true." The third voice chimes in.

"So." Kurt's eyes dart a few inches back to the first voice. "What do you say? I'm sure we'd be better company than being alone until morning. Who knows? You might end up staying here long term. You need friends here if you want to survive." Kurt can hear the pride in the first voice. "Sorry to come off weird and straight-forward, but this is . . . this is a really good thing."

Kurt pulls back slightly so he can barely see them now. He's sure that they can see his hesitation and confusion mixed in with his fear that he himself has been trying to repress. He really wants to go, but it seems so sudden and out of character to him. Hell, this entire venture is out of character for him. He came out here to become his own person and to find himself, to experience the world. If he was to hide himself on the boat instead of taking a leap of faith, then he'd pretty much be mimicking his life back home where he was afraid to get out of his comfort zone in fear of how his family would react or how uncomfortable that he didn't know he'd be. What's the honest point of going out to do something adventurous and then stopping yourself when things get a bit scary? Just because his boat had come to a stop doesn't mean that he should.

Kurt lets out a shaky breath. "I'll be right down."

"Hang on, dude." The third voice cuts in as Kurt goes to move. "You might need to pack some stuff. It's a good couple hours walk back from here. And that's moving quickly. We're still hauling back some food so we'll be taking the long way."

"Yeah." The first voice chimes in. "So get what you think you'll need, otherwise you'll be good to go."

"Gotcha." Kurt keeps his voice soft as he moves away from the railing.

Kurt tells himself to breath. This seems like a good idea. After all, these guys have been nothing but kind to him and have already saved his life. Since they're taking him to a group of people, that he's assuming are stranded as well, then they must be civilized to a certain degree. They won't do anything to him. They'll just be excited and ask tons of questions. Maybe someone there will know how to fix a boat. Then I can get off of this island, and help them in the process. Kurt chuckles at the thought. This will be the first time that he might be able to help someone without help. It doesn't have to do with school, or his family, or anything that doesn't matter here on the island. It'll be helping people that actually need help.

Kurt feels a strange ping in his heart at the thought. Maybe he is meant to help people. He's always thought of himself as someone who puts someone else's needs before his own. Maybe that is helping. Kurt has a small smile and a sense of pride as he steps back down into his boat. He looks around slowly, unsure of what to bring. If it takes hours to get to this civilization, he's going to need quite a bit of things. Time seems to be an unimportant factor at this point. The goal is to just get through this . . . whatever this is. So if he was to already have planned for a hiking expedition, what would he bring.

Kurt purses his lips as he drops to his knees in front of the cabinets in the small kitchen and pulls the small 'Alice in Wonderland'-like doors open. The first thing he pulls out is a black duffel bag that had been tucked in at the last minute on top of everything. He had only had that bag left over once he finished stocking his boat up, so he decided to just cram it in there. Who knew that he would actually need it for a situation like this, but it works.

He pulls the bag out before staring into the depths of the cabinets. Food, food, and food. So much non-perishable food that had been for his venture on the seas, but now for the land. He doesn't want to load his bag down with can goods and the like, so he decides to just take half of his supplies from the bottom cabinets that are in bags. Since he has enough food to last him at least two weeks, taking half of this bottom cabinet only would be a good three days worth of food. He doesn't know what kind of food he'll find where he's going, so he'll stick with his own and come back once he's gotten the layout of what's going on in 'civilization'. That and his well-mannered ways thanks to the way that his dad had raised him made him not want to impose on what is already a limited amount of resources.

The rustling of plastic fills his ears as he takes out bags of marshmallows, crackers, bread, noodles, and tons of other filler food that he usually nit-picked at until he could sneak away from a triple-bacon cheeseburger. Sometimes, he does curse his father and step-mother for the way that they had to eat, not that he would say it to their face. But once one person ate healthy, they all had too and Kurt couldn't just handle that once he was on his own and his wallet was dragging him to the nearest Burger King.

Kurt snaps the cabinets shut, but does it slowly and quietly once it's almost shut. It just feels weird to be hearing the sound of the cabinet somewhere so native and empty with such an urban sound. It's an instinct of his that he can't really help. He decides that after food, he needs to worry about his own comfort needs: clothes. He balances himself on the heels of his feet before standing up on shaky legs. He makes his way through the small hallway and past his bathroom to reach his room. The blankets are still messed up on the bed from where he had woken of eons ago, or at least hours . . . or minutes. The pounding in Kurt's head and veins prevents his sense of time from being less than a blur at the moment. He reaches down to pull open the drawers embedded into the bed. Luckily for him, the duffel bag that he has is one of those large ones that can fit a large dog or a medium sized person, so his own collection of clothes barely make a dent into the bag. He didn't bring much since he figured he'd be spending most of his time in swim trunk and a wife beater, or even less. He would be in the middle of the ocean after all and it would be his domain, at least until there was a chance of someone seeing him.

Kurt hesitates with placing his last shirt in the bag as a thought dawns on him: it would suck to lose this bag because them I'll have no clothes. He shrugs it off and continues to dig through the drawers. He had never really cared for his clothes that much; it was just a facade that he put on for his family to play up this gay stereotype that he set forth so they wouldn't wander or question anymore into his personal life, like his fondness of his secret sai swords and that massive Harry Potter nerd that he is.

Kurt lets out a shaky breath as his hand scopes the empty drawer until it bumps to the side. He moves his hand a bit further back and he can feel the cool metal touch his chest. Sue the boat contained a few flare guns, which he'd need to get as well, or just keep them where they are for when he came back, but the fact that he had a real gun was worrying to him. Again, it was something his dad insisted that he had, even though he wouldn't if he knew of Kurt's secret skills with hand-to-hand combat thanks to youtube videos and a training room that he visited secretly while at college. Kurt understands the point of having a gun when one is alone, but he doesn't like it. He was never a fan of guns, or violence in general. The only reason that he has those moments in his life were because of self defense.

Kurt pulls the black-metaled hand gun out and avoids looking at it. He brings his hand around behind his back and slides it down the back of his shirt. He sits back on his knees and lifts his shirt up. He shivers slightly when the cold metal touches his back before he slides it down so it can lie in the crack of his backside. He knows for a fact that the safety is on, and that makes him feel better. He's just bringing the gun just in case; these are complete strangers after all. He lets his shirt fall over the gun before he shuts the drawer under the bed and stands up.

He pulls the bag up with him and lets it rest on the bed. He thinks that he has everything that he'd need, even though he's probably forgetting a ton of other things. He's usually good when thinking on his feet, but this situation factors in pressure, adrenaline, fear, and lack of sleep. He takes one last look around before he zips the bag shut. If he needs anything else, he can always take the journey back when he needs food or something, or even a shower if he can figure out how that thing works.

Kurt shoulders and lets the heavy bag rest against his side before he looks one last time around the room. Why does this feel like goodbye? It's not that exactly. He just feels that he's saying goodbye to the adventure that could have been, mainly because he doubts he'll go on another boating venture in the future. He makes his way out of the room rather quickly, shutting the little sliding door behind him.

As he walks through the kitchen, he pats his pockets down. He smiles briefly when he finds that he took the keys with him from the control panel up top. His memory is so blurry from the rapid occurrence of events that it must have slipped into the tiny details that don't really stand out. He gives another last look around the kitchen before stepping out of the main door and shutting it with a snap behind him.

* * *

Hey guys, I'm really sorry about this late late update. College has been hectic and I've barely been able to post on other stories. I hope this can tide you over a bit for a week or two until I have time to sit down and write more. I have the story planned out entirely, so that helps. Anyways, enjoy! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Desolate Blue**

**Author: **GleekShip

**Spoilers:** AU. Only certain pairings still exist.

**Summary: **Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.

**Pairings: **Kurt/Puck

**Desolate Blue**

Kurt approaches the edge of his vessel with caution, hearing the voice on the ground beneath. Sure this is crazy for him to go gallivanting with a bunch of men that he just met to find a group of people that may or may not exist, but he's actually gonna go for it. Who knows, maybe he can gain their trust and figure a way off of this god forsaken rock since they apparently haven't found one yet without him? Two heads are better than one and all of that.

Instead of going to the side of the boat where he had been at to converse with the men, he goes to the back of the boat where he has the ladder that will lead him down to join them. He shoulders his bag carefully as he makes his way across the short distance. At the back of his mind he can hear his dad telling him that this is childish and reckless, but technically has wrecked so his father's voice had lost half of his argument.

Kurt smiles to himself as he peers over the edge of the vessel. The angle of the moonlight is better over here since he can see the ground. The way his boat had landed, there's quite a drop from the bottom of the ladder. The ladder was made to help someone step down on deck or to grab onto when swimming behind the boat, but not to drop off onto land. Kurt lifts the bag up and sets it down on the edge of the boat, balancing it well before letting it go. He makes sure the bag doesn't have the opportunity to fall before he heaves one leg over the boat. As soon as his foot finds its ground on the bars of the ladder, he swings his other leg over. He quickly grabs the handles and holds on until both of his feet are planted on the same bar.

Kurt reaches up with one hand while his other is holding onto the ladder with support and grabs the handle of the duffel bag. It's not that the bag is extremely heavy; it's just that he's a bit unbalanced and all of the items within the bag are constantly shifting and rattling within. He forces himself to move slowly so he doesn't throw himself on balance and possibly break his neck at the end of a ten foot drop with a collection of sharp looking rocks at the bottom. He carefully holds the strap in his hand as he brings his hand back to the ladder for a good grip.

He lets out a shaky breath as he goes further down. To be honest, he's not freaking out anymore. He has a gun on him, these people are in the same boat as him, pun not intended, and these guys seem genuinely happy for a fresh face. Does it help that he tries to see the best in people? Sure it does, but that doesn't make him stupid. He may accept new people, but he's always extra cautious and holds back his respect for the new person until he's sure of what they mean to him,

Kurt nearly loses his hold on everything when in his venture towards the next step down, he finds nothing but air. This is what he gets for letting his thoughts side-track him with the intent on letting him fall to his doom. He goes down as far as he can on the ladder and hangs the bag down low. There's still a drop, but the bag will survive, so he drops it. It barely takes a second before he hears the soft impact and the clunking sound of the cans. Alright, so he maybe he's over-stating the drop. He's still dealing with the facts of everything. He's allowed to be wrong once in a while, even if he thinks the consequences to everything is some sort of injury.

Kurt lets out a shaky breath before he lets his feet drop from the edge of the ladder while his hands hang on for dear life. He wants to look down, but that is never the ideal action or someone hanging around in a situation like this. So he just decides to let go and try to land on his feet. If that doesn't work, the beech sounded soft when his bag had landed and his bag should be soft because of the clothes that are within.

He feels the rush of air around him, making him shiver slightly at the rough touch. He expects to land on his feet but he finds the back of his legs brush against something firm before he's stopped with something behind the knees. His upper body is suddenly falling on it's own until he lands with an 'oomph' coming from his mouth.

He stops for a second to catch his breath. He blinks his eyes open and finds himself staring into the face of a tan man. He looks away slowly and shifts slightly. The man quickly helps Kurt to his feet.

"Sorry, dude. I was waiting down here for you and just saw you fall." The man is quick to apologize. "It's kind of my instinct to help out whenever I can."

"No problem." Kurt takes a step back and averts his eyes. "I'm Kurt by the way."

"Everyone calls me Puck." The man extends his hand and Kurt finally has a name for the first voice.

Kurt reaches forward and grips the firm hand. He first notices that there's a layer of dirt along the hands, which he assumes are tan along with the feature of the man's face. The moonlight is good enough to where he can see the hazel eyes shining out among the tan skin and chiseled features. Kurt may be stretching the truth out a little bit by letting the word 'god' come to mind at this first glance, but it's a hell of a good description. The boy is very well built from what Kurt can see of the boys' upper body, which is bare as well. Kurt has to make sure to keep his eyes above the neck.

It doesn't really matter since he can see the tan man eyeing him up and down. Being in a frantic state for the past few hours have more or less made him not as presentable as he'd like to be. He runs his hand through his hair and watches as a smile breaks on the tan face. Kurt gives the man an awkward smile before looking to the ground. He quickly leans down and grabs the handle of his bag and heaves it up to hang it over his shoulder.

"So . . . listen, dude, before we get back to the others." Puck's voice is low and rushed. "I know that this is nowhere near an ideal situation to be in, trust me. I know that if I had arrived on my own and not with a group of people that I already knew, then I'd be even more skeptical than you. I just want to let you know that if anyone gives you grief, since you are new and we don't know you, come to me. I may not play leader to everyone, but I do have influence with people." They both let out a simultaneous breath. "It doesn't seem like anyone will be going anywhere any time soon, at least not until we see the damage done to your boat here."

"It's a ship." Kurt says when Puck motions towards his vessel.

Puck chuckles. "Anyways, it seems that you're going to be joining us until we get lucky enough to get saved from this place. I need to know that I can count on you before you come here on our land and try to change things. Can I count on you?"

"Yeah." Kurt quickly nods. "I'm just trying to process this whole thing here."

"Well I can't guarantee you an early night because people will want to talk to you all night, but I can give you a long morning. You'll be staying at mine." Puck offers.

Kurt finally drops the man's hand. "Sounds good."

Puck nods and motions his head towards the island. "Come on."

Puck seems to sense Kurt's predicament so he quickly walks off without even looking back. Kurt lets out a shaky breath and looks to the ground. He's oddly lucky that this group of people happen to be this friendly and accepting. Maybe it's happened before? Maybe he just has spectacular luck and he's managed to find the most accepting people ever. Or maybe he's crazy and he's lying unconscious in some hospital after being found by the coastguard. This whole thing could be a dream, but he's not going to test that. Even in his dreams, he doesn't tempt fate, just what the norm is.

Kurt tightens his grip on his bag as he slowly starts walking forward. The first thing he sees when he rounds the edge of his ship is that the giant cat beast that had tried attacking him was now on a giant blue tarp. His heart must have been pounding loud in his ears for him to not hear the sound of the working men or the sound of the crinkling tarp. He could see a pool of blood staining the sand as he approaches the awaiting men.

"Hey. I'm Sam." The second voice now has the face of a blonde boy with a big wide smile.

Kurt has to admit that this whole thing seems more like a dream with the addition of another god-like and chiseled man. The blonde's eyes are captivating and Kurt finds himself lost in them before he has to blink himself out of it. Those wide lips are stretched into a shining and happy grin. Kurt glances down the shirtless body and finds himself having to control his hormones for the first time in a long time. He has to look away from Sam after a curt nod and a quick smile and meets the third face, the third voice.

"Mike." The Asian boy gives Kurt a welcoming smile before becoming silent again

Of course he's met with a matching set completing the quick tradition of each man only wearing a pair of well-worn shorts. Mike's abs aren't as buffed and muscled out as Puck's or Sam's, but they're still very fine abs. Kurt's eyes return to Mike's and finds the boy checking Kurt out just as the other two had.

"Kurt." He smiles to them as he repeats his name to the two that hadn't heard it before looking down to the carcass. "What are you doing with this?"

"This-" Sam grips on his corner of the tarp as an emphasis. "Is dinner tonight."

"Wait." Kurt crinkles his nose. "You're actually going to eat a wild animal? Aren't you afraid of catching something?"

"We don't have much of a choice on a small island of limited resources." Mike answers softly, seeming to be a bit shyer now that Kurt is closer to him compared to the boat and the height separating them.

"Oh." Kurt nods and looks away, feeling guilty that he didn't think of that conclusion in the first place.

"Hey guys." Puck looks to his two companions. "I'm going to walk ahead with Kurt. Do you two think you can pull this on your own?"

"Go ahead, Puck." Sam nods. "I'm sure that you'll be able to answer any question that he has."

"Great." Puck turns to Kurt. "Shall we?"

Kurt quickly nods and grips onto the strap of his duffel bag before joining Puck towards their walk up to the jungle. Behind them, they can hear the sound of Mike and Sam whispering to each other in hushed and urgent tones while the sounds of the tarp moving is in progress. Kurt steps into Puck's shadow so the boy can lead them to the jungle. Puck seems to know his way since he had managed to not trip on any of the big tree roots that have spread into the small amount of beech or twist a leg into the groups of jagged rocks thus far. Kurt makes sure to only step where Puck has stepped. He frowns though because this beach must have been visited by these boys before. If they have to come out this far for the hunt of meat, then how much is left in the close quarters of the territory that they're currently occupying?

"So . . ." Puck keeps his voice low as if he doesn't want the others listening in. "Ask away. Anything that comes to mind. I'll try to answer as best as I can."

Kurt blinks before asking the first question that pops into his mind. "Is your name really Puck?"

Puck stops and Kurt almost walks into him. "What?" He snaps himself out of his daze as he continues to walk and chuckles softly. "No. It's not."

"Why'd you stop?" Kurt asks quickly.

"Because everyone here calls me Puck. They haven't asked about my real name in ages." Puck looks over his shoulder at Kurt as they near the trees. "It's kind of weird being asked again."

Kurt can only nod as Puck looks away and leads them into the woods. "So what is your real name?"

"Listen dude." Puck sighs. "Everyone has a secret. That's mine. I just prefer to go by Puck. It fits with who I am."

"What about who you'll be?" Kurt asks, his college brain and years of psychology classes making him seem like he's on top of this.

"We're stuck on an island, dude." Puck laughs. "Who I am now is who I will be."

And he's not on top of this, so Kurt frowns. "Okay, but I'll find out one day. If I'm going to be here for a long time, I'm gonna have to solve some sort of mystery and you're the first one presented to me."

Puck chuckles and leads them further into the darkness. "So any questions outside of my personal ones? Why don't you go for the obvious ones?"

Kurt sighs before reluctantly admitting that this will be good knowledge to have. "How long have you been on this island?"

Puck lets out a tired breath. "Roughly eight years. Give or take a few months. We have someone that keeps track and reminds of us certain events."

"Damn!" Kurt can't help that his voice gets loud. "That's an insane amount of time."

"I know." Puck nods quickly. "And we've tried every way off. Life rafts, man-made rafts, signaling and burning some things. None of it has gotten us anywhere."

"Well that's unfortunate." Kurt mutters under his breath before clearing his throat. "How?"

"How what?" Puck asks as he pushes out a clump of branches.

"How did you get stranded here?" Kurt clarifies. "Has anyone else shown up?"

"Well you're the only one outside of our group to have the misfortune of landing here." Puck answers the second question before going into detail on the first. "As for us, well we were all on this cruise for our school. Some of the clubs had managed to raise some money right before summer, so we put it to use of paying for a cruise. Not a big one, but one to where there was enough to do. It was supposed to last a week, but we got eight years."

Puck's voice carries in the silent jungle. "It was our last night before we were to go home. We had just visited this one island; I forget the name, but we all pretty much got hammered there. So that led to us and our captain not seeing this huge mountain appearing out of the fog. Boom, smash, crash . . . and here we are."

Kurt gulps and fines himself wanting to cry. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Puck shrugs it off. "We were fortunate to have enough supplies left on board to help us stay sane and healthy for a while. We built shelter, learned how to hunt, and even created a mini-government. Nothing too big, but enough to survive thanks to instinct kicking in."

"Well that's good." Kurt mutters. "So you guys haven't had any new faces? I'd go crazy."

"Not new anymore." Puck mutters softly, but Kurt's able to hear.

"Wh-"

"But things are pretty good." Puck cuts him off, perhaps not hearing Kurt. "We have groups of us that go out and hunt for food. Sam and Mike are always with me unless they're needed elsewhere. Before them, I never really had any friends. I got roped into going on the cruise because my girlfriend wanted me to join."

"Well that's sweet." Kurt smiles.

He manages to be at Puck's side now and notices that the boy is frown and his face is scrunched up. He wants to say something, but he can tell that this is one of those personal moments that Puck asked him to not question him about. He'll just ask about the boy later.

"So when you mentioned school, did you mean high school?" Kurt questions.

Puck snaps out of his thoughts and nods. "Yeah. We were young then."

"And forced to grow up so fast." Kurt continues on with a sigh. "I feel for you. Maybe not with this whole thing, but having to enter life early. My dad's a congressmen and I had to step up to be a positive role model for the future that may be watching my dad and our family."

Puck snorts. "Oh great. Just what we need, more politicians."

Kurt feels a need to shove the guy in a playful manner, but he barely knows the guy. "I'm not one for politicians. I like trying to do things that people say I can't do, hence my little adventure here."

"Maybe you should have stayed a politician then." Puck comments.

Kurt shakes his head. "Too many idiots. I'd rather be where the action is."

"Well then you're about to have the best and possibly last experience of your life." Puck says with a quick smile to Kurt.

Kurt just nods and lets the two fall into a comfortable silence.

* * *

Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one and the bits that take you a bit deeper into the mystery. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Desolate Blue**

**Author: **GleekShip

**Spoilers:** AU. Only certain pairings still exist.

**Summary: **Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.

**Pairings: **Kurt/Puck

**Desolate Blue**

Kurt had slowly listened in as Puck started informing him of the inter-workings of their mini-society. The only time that the flow of information had stopped was when they had to stop to make sure that Mike and Sam were still following them and were okay, or when Puck had to stop for a second and figure his way around a giant ditch or an extremely muddy area; he didn't want to have to wash his clothes again so soon. Kurt chuckles at those muttered words, but Puck quickly explained that they went a while wearing the same clothes because they have only found one fresh water area on the island and it was best when it came to washing clothes, which he didn't want to taint anymore than necessary.

That was one spot that Puck kept a smile on his face when it came to describing; this hot spring. It technically was one place, but it was divided as if created for the recent inhabitants of the island with one side usable for clothes and the cleanliness of the people, while the other side was for a fresh supply of drinking water. The heat was enough to burn the germs away from the people, but they could only use it sparingly or risk the entire water source becoming tainted and unusable for the desire of keeping a human body hydrated.

Their community of people was ran by three main people, more or less. They mainly served to maintain rations and the daily functioning of the place, even if they didn't have any main control when it came to most things. Puck, as Kurt had been informed, was mainly in control of everything. Somehow, he had been shoved to the top for being a strong leader who made wise decisions and wasn't afraid to put his foot down if someone got out of control, but even he had some help.

A countless amount of names and brief descriptions had went in one ear and quickly shoved out the other as he made room for the continuous flow of information from Puck. He'd learn the names in due time, so he wasn't that worried about them unless they were going to be a big impact on his time on the forsaken rock.

The amount of time and work that's went into this mini-civilization is astounding. These people had virtually built houses from scratch, only the occasional ship part being used. For a group of people where a majority were in high school when they had crashed was enough to blow Kurt's mind when hearing of this place. If he had been stuck here with the less than intelligent buffoons of his high school then they'd be doomed and he would have had to resort to self-cannibalism or worse; eating one of them.

Kurt suddenly finds himself falling forward. Kurt curses his lack of balance, the weight of his duffel bag, and the stupid amount of roots sticking out of the ground as gravity yanks him by his balls. He is again stopped short of his visual expectations when a pair of arms wrap around him and Kurt's face is stuffed into a big hunk of-

"Kurt." Kurt snaps out of his daze and lets the man holding him slowly help him get re-balanced on two feet.

"Sorry." Kurt quickly apologizes to Puck. "Lost in my own thoughts, a typical habit actually. I'm working on it though. Just ignore me for now, or forever. I don't care. Either one. I'm not worth-"

"Chill, dude." Puck cuts him off with a chuckle. "And stop being nervous. I can see that that's why you're lost in la la land and rambling."

"Well . . ." Kurt chuckles on the inside knowing that his thoughts aren't exactly lost, but the rambling is most likely contributed to nerves. "Sorry. My mind is just racing about everything. I still can't believe that you guys have managed to create life."

"Well don't expect too much." Puck says as he takes a step forward and waits for Kurt to get with the program before continuing both his walk and words. "When I say civilization, I mean that in the most loose terms ever. Even the Indians and Amish have better built places then us. This is . . . just the most simplistic form of survival that we could manage. Between you and me-" Puck leans closer to Kurt as they walk. "Our high school doesn't have the smartest cookies in the box. I mean, I may be a jock to extents, but these guys are neandrathals compared to me."

Kurt snorts and smiles wide at Puck. "That sounds . . . exactly like the school I went to."

"Went?" Puck's eyebrows shoot up. "So you're not still in high school? You sure?"

"I'm sure." Kurt rolls his eyes. "I may look a bit young, but I've actually completed college. I'm quite old."

"So you're about the same age as us then?" Puck slowly nods before continuing without giving Kurt a chance to answer his question. "That's pretty sweet then. Most people here are that age, so I hope that it makes it easier for you to transition into the group and that they'll accept you."

"Well . . ." Kurt purses his lips and looks down to the ground before them. "Even when I was surrounded by current events and modern culture, I never really fit in. Even with . . . my personality in addition to my . . . e-effeminate looks-" Kurt stumbles on the stinging words in his mouth, the ones that he had heard too many times. "I'm not one really for making friends that easily." Unless they wanted in on his families money.

He can see Puck frown out of the corner of his eye, but he keeps his eye forward, feeling just as uncomfortable with the current topic as Puck had felt earlier. It's just one of those things that he always felt insecure about, his body. He knows that he looks good to certain people, but he's never had a wanted body, a desirable body. It makes him want to wrap his arms around his body again, an action that he had finally forced himself to stop doing in college after years of doing it. He was confident with how he looked now, but he's also aware of how he looks on a scale of 1 to 10: a big fat 2. He's confident that he's not that desirable, and he's fine with that.

He gives Puck a quick smile and looks away from the concerned and troubled face. "But I'll try to fit in. I'm used to faking and making impressions when it comes to things that I'm not best at."

"Well don't do that." Kurt looks over at the anger in Puck's voice. "Listen, Kurt, I've been exactly where you've been. Not being yourself, hiding from everyone except maybe one or two others, but don't do that here. After years of living with these people, I finally let them see the side of me that no one else saw. Not the guy that was strong, or the one that could hunt and kill an animal without regret, but one that would do anything for those that I cared for. I let them see that . . . that soft side of me. It's something that I'm grateful for doing now. You're going to find that living in this kind of environment with this small group of people that it's best to be yourself. Otherwise in a few years or so you suddenly change or some anger builds up in you until you explodes . . . it won't be good for anyone." Puck lets out a shaky breath before stopping and placing a hand on Kurt's tense shoulder. "Just relax, dude. Just . . . be yourself, not who you think people want you to be. The more real you are here, the more they'll accept you into the group instead of some lying git."

Kurt slowly nods, understanding the words, just not comfortable with going through with them. "I'll try. Believe me, I will try, but I can't exactly guarantee that I won't fib up a few times. Being honest, at least to who I feel that I am, is a hard thing."

"Well you're going to try." Puck nods as he pushes another branch out of their way. "That's all I'm asking. And being completely honest, you seem like a cool dude. I don't know that many guys that would have the balls to go out to sea on their own. You are alone, aren't you?" Puck asks hesitantly with a side glance to Kurt.

Kurt quickly nods. "Yeah. I'm sure my dad would have loved to come for my protection, but I managed to leave by myself."

"And still in one piece." Puck chuckles. "But like I was saying, you're pretty cool. You came out here on your own. You're even coming back with us, a group of complete strangers and you seem pretty calm about it."

"Call it shock." Kurt gives the boy a side smile. "But . . . I don't think it'll be a problem. It doesn't feel like shock, so maybe it's relief."

"Well what's guy like you need to be relieved for?" Puck smiles. "Things must be going well if you could afford a boat, so clearly you're doing well financially. Isn't that still the main problem with the world all these years later."

Kurt frowns as he looks away from the boy. "It is, but not for me."

Kurt goes quiet, feeling hurt. He had thought that these people would be different, but that's apparently not true. He's being judged for his looks and his money, yet again. That's everything that he's been judged for in his life. Even thought he had thought that Puck would be one of these nice guys, he turns out to be one of those Neanderthals that he knew back home, even if Puck had claimed not to be one. It causes his heart to shrink a bit, dying from his lack of faith in humanity and his loss of adventure with this trip. There really is nowhere that he can escape the ignorance and pettiness of man unless he is around none.

"Kurt." Puck snaps his fingers in front of Kurt, his eyes looking at Kurt with concern. "Did I say something wrong? You went quiet all the sudden."

Kurt wants to shake his head, but how is he supposed to get people to open their eyes if he doesn't open his mouth, so he does. "Please don't judge me. Having money doesn't mean anything if all it does in your life is affect how people perceive you. I haven't had a real friend from that money, just the greedy people that thrive on the chance . . . no, the desire of getting money from me just because I have it. I'm tired of it. Yes I have money, but it doesn't define me. It comes from my father, not me. I-"

"I'm sorry, Kurt." Puck cuts him off with a soft tone in his voice and downcast eyes. "It's been a while since . . . I assume too much. That's what I get for knowing the same people for so long and no one else. I honestly didn't mean to offend you. Please, is there a chance for you to forgive me?"

Kurt keeps his eyes averted as he leaves the question hang in silence. He does want to answer, but he also wants to think on it and to not come across as someone who makes a hasty decision just so he can keep the peace. However, he doesn't want to come across as impolite and an uptight git.

"Y-yes." Kurt is surprised to find that his voice cracks, but he pushes in with a new breath. "I've just been trying to be more honest recently and that sort of slipped out. My attempts usually don't end up so forceful and rant-like."

"It's fine, dude." Puck is back to his smile again. "You just survived a boat crash on top of finding that there's a random group of strangers that want you to join them in the forest . . . I think you're good when it comes to a few moments of anger or panic."

Kurt smiles briefly at him before looking forward again. It's still dark out, but there's some sort of light source that's letting him see the beauty in the nature around him. Even though he hadn't noticed it, they were finally on level ground. All of the trees and bushes around them were more or less pushed to the side, sort of in a permanent fold from the path being walked on so much and for so long. As well as sight, his hearing is also enjoying the soft sound of the wind in the trees as well as the soft waves of the nearby ocean from this side of the island. Another sound he picks up is the distinct sound of what can only be described as something human.

His entire body perks up at the thought and anticipation of meeting this entire organization of people, but nerves immediately fill his body and his steps become half a pace slower.

Unfortunately for him, Puck takes notice of his change in speed. The tan boy quickly reaches out and places his hand firmly on Kurt's bicep to stop the boy. Kurt only turns to see why they're stopping, but Puck only gives him a quick nod before looking back into the dim light of the trees. Kurt can see a few figures moving back there: Sam and Mike. He's still confused as to why they stopped instead of continuing on into the mini-civilization, so he just stands there and waits for whatever Puck is waiting for. He looks away as Puck starts talking quickly and quietly into the darkness.

He can feel his arm starting to itch where Puck has his hand at, but he tries to ignore it. It still surprises him at how quick Puck is to grab onto him since they've met, something that's never existed back home. The first few times were from danger, but he doesn't see how venturing to their island home is a danger. Still, he doesn't like that hand on him. It's not that the itch is uncomfortable, it's just new and a bit unnerving to someone as private and non-touched as him. Sometimes, he thinks that he should touch every part of his body a bit more just so when he finally does get with his partner in the future, it wouldn't feel so new and make this itch appear; not that Puck is his future partner in any way.

Kurt quickly shakes his head and the random thoughts away as Puck turns and steps closer to Kurt, their faces close. "Can you stay here for a second? I didn't exactly think of your . . . well, of our return home with you. We can't have everyone getting up in the middle of the night, or morning now, just because we brought you back. The only ones that should be awake now are a few of the guards, but I doubt that they won't raise alarm."

Kurt's eyes widen at the fact that this place has guards and alarm systems, but he tries to stay focus. "So what should I do?"

"Well I'm going to go check in and let them know that we've returned. Sam will stay with you while Mike and I do that." Puck nods to the two figures that are now closing in on them. "Then we'll come back and I'll take you back to mine. I'm the one that has the most room, so you'll probably be bunking with me for a bit until we can build you a place."

Normally Kurt would object, but he keeps mum on that subject. "And then we'll get our dinner put away and turn in for the night."

Puck just gives Kurt another grin before his grip drops from Kurt and he and Mike disappear in the direction of the civilization. Kurt watches as the two move quickly towards the slumbering group with impressive speed. They must have done this before and have their path for these return trips down after these many years. Kurt looks away from them and finds himself looking into Sam's smiling face.

"So . . ." Kurt finds himself smiling as well. "Why didn't you go with them?"

"Ah." Sam chuckles as he looks down, slightly embarrassed. "The person that we report to . . . she's not a big fan of me at the moment."

"What'd you do?" Kurt finds himself wanting to laugh at Sam's squirming body.

"It's nothing bad." Sam says slowly as he tries to think of the best way to say his thoughts without making himself look bad. "It's . . . just . . . I might have . . . felt . . ." Sam trails off and lets his eyes dart away as his mouth shuts.

"What?" Kurt asks as he leans closer. "You felt . . . you felt her . . ." Kurt shakes his head slowly. "You have to elaborate, Sam. I don't know what . . . that . . . oh my god." Kurt's eyes go wide. "You felt her up?"

"I didn't mean to." Sam squeals as he looks to Kurt with pleading eyes while Kurt is glee with amusement. "I fell down and she was the nearest thing to me. Oh god." Sam groans as he brings his hands up to run over his face and into his hair. "It was such a terrible experience and now she looks at me like the plague."

"Aww." Kurt is still smiling so his voice comes out mock-like. "Poor you."

"I know." Sam chuckles before shaking his head. "It's not too bad. I'm sure it'll die down eventually." Kurt slowly nods as Sam brings his eyes up to meet Kurt's. "So . . . I was wondering if you wanted to hang tomorrow?"

"Hang?" Kurt's eyes narrow. "Um . . ."

Sam chuckles. "I mean like show you around and stuff. Puck always has a busy schedule, so I figured that I could show you around. Especially with how crazy it's going to get that we have someone new here, you might want a break. I could . . . you know, show you some of the best spots of this place."

Kurt smiles softly. "Sure. That . . . that sounds like fun, but I'm warning you, I'm no fun to hang out with."

"Well I can be friends with anybody, so that means I can find something awesome in you." Sam says with a confident voice before he breaks into another smile.

"That sounds awe-"

"You ready?"

Kurt looks up at the voice, completely surprised. "Wow. That was fast."

"It's just us ducking our heads in, mentioning that Sam's already putting dinner up, that we have to talk in the morning, and then we're out." Puck shrugs before smiling for Kurt. "So . . . are you ready to head to my place?"

"Yeah." Kurt quickly nods, but glances to Sam. "Thanks for keeping me company."

"See you tomorrow, Kurt." Sam mock salutes Kurt before he starts heading back towards the tarp and the hairy beast within with Mike tagging quickly behind.

"Alright." Puck claps his hands quietly and nods before motioning towards civilization. "Shall we?"

Kurt nods and lets himself be guided into either a quick vacation spot or his new permanent home.

* * *

Sorry for the late chapter guys. I've been on vacation with the family, but I'm back and ready to write. I have this story planned out, so hopefully chapters will come quickly. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

**Desolate Blue**

**Author: **GleekShip

**Spoilers:** AU. Only certain pairings still exist.

**Summary: **Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.

**Pairings: **Kurt/Puck

**Desolate Blue**

Kurt hesitates a few seconds to wake up before he slowly blinks his eyes open. It takes him a few moments after cringing at the blinding light in his eyes. Not necessarily directly in his eyes, but it was bouncing all over the room that he was in. Kurt narrows his eyes at the thought before his eyes dart around, taking everything. The first thing he notices is that the walls are made of wood and leaves, an actual hut. It almost feels dreamlike that only a few hours ago he was on a boat, and exactly a day ago he was waking up, ready to set sail on the ocean in the search for an adventure . . . for life.

Kurt eyes the other empty bed in the corner before he slowly starts sitting up. He cringes slightly when he feels the gun pressing against the back of his jeans as he does so. He could hardly feel it last night just because of how exhausted he was. He calms down slightly when he remembers that the safety is on and no one's managed to notice it. Hopefully, he won't ever have to use it whilst here.

It feels odd to be in this random room, in this random bed, but the events of the night rush back to him. Puck walking him along the outskirts of their little civilization until they got to his hut, Puck's home. They didn't talk much once they got there though. Puck just told Kurt where he was going to sleep and asked if he had any questions, but Kurt answered no and said he was too tired to think. Puck agreed and retreated to his own bed. There had been idle talk between the two about how bizarre this was, and Puck warning Kurt of how excited and possibly angry people may act over Kurt being a newcomer. Those thoughts had rested on Kurt's thoughts as he drifted out of the world, filling him with so many forgetful dreams that played out the many likely and unlikely scenarios.

Kurt glances down as he sits up, watching the blanket fall off of him. He glances to his shows on the floor at the bedside, reassuring himself that with this, these people aren't crazy and are going to attack him at every chance. He shakes his thoughts and looks up to the doorway where all the natural sunlight is coming in through the grass and stick made door, but stops short.

"Hi."

Kurt watches as the small, curly-haired girl steps away from the dram of the opening, her light brown eyes trained on Kurt with a wide smile. The first thing he notices is that her clothes are extremely loose on her, but have been sewed up at several points to make them more comfortable for her. Her clothes look like a combination between tourist t-shirts and everyday plain t's. Her long brown locks form a perfect frame around her face, in which Kurt notices that she has a very defined jaw line. It makes her looks older; Kurt's sure she's not even 10 yet, but she looks like a teenager. Her arms are folded across her chest, almost hesitant, but her face is very warm and inviting.

Kurt continues to find himself lost in the light brown eyes. He has the set of eyes somewhere in his recent memory, but he can't think of where he's seen something so warm. They make her tanned face look pale, but with a bit of a gold tint. She's a very beautiful young woman and Kurt's sure that she could be a model in her future if the future looked better than a barren wasteland of this island.

"I'm sorry for waking you up." The girl quickly rushes to say when Kurt doesn't respond to her first invitation to a conversation. "I was just excited when I hear my dad talking about you. I mean I wasn't supposed to be listening in, but I raced here anyway so I could . . . wow. I'm overwhelming you aren't I? I always get told I talk to much and-"

Kurt shakes his head with a smile and the girl suddenly stops talking. "It's fine. It's actually nice to hear this much excitement. I haven't had a good talker in my life since college."

The girl's smile widens. "Good, because I wanted to make a good impression. Everyone here as already experienced the outside world while I haven't, so this is my first time talking to someone . . . that I haven't grown up with."

Kurt's eyebrows furrow. "Wait a second. Does that mean you were born here?"

"Yeah." The girl quickly nods. "The only one, unfortunately. Dad always says that one day I'll be able to play with kids my own age, but I doubt it."

"Dad." Kurt mutters before clearing his throat. "Who's your dad?"

The girl crinkles her nose first, but lets out an annoyed breath. "Everyone calls him Puck."

"You don't seem to like that." Kurt notices with a frown. "Any particular reason?"

Sarah bites her lip before shaking her head. "I just like his actual name."

"What-"

"I'm Beth, by the way." Beth holds out her hand as she approaches Kurt. "Welcome to . . . home."

Kurt gives her a grim smile before he reaches out and takes her small hand within his. "I'm Kurt. Kurt Hummel."

"Well, Kurt, I-"

Beth stops talking when they both hear the sound of people outside, the voices getting closer. "Shoot." Beth starts fidgeting. "Dad will kill me if he knows I'm here. I'm not even supposed to know about you yet."

Kurt's eyes widen slightly, not wanting to frighten the girl or upset her father and possibly anyone else. It's not his place, but it's also something that will stick in his gut if he doesn't try.

"Hurry up and get out then." Kurt urges her with a soft smile. "They're going to want to talk to me today anyways. Wouldn't want you to hide and then have no where to go."

Beth smiles at Kurt. "Thank you, Mr. Hummel. I'll try and talk to you later. Bye."

She gives Kurt a quick wave before she disappears through the door to the hut, but not before peering around both corners. The hand-made door falls back into place, looking as undisturbed as it had before. Kurt sighs, slightly happier with this little introduction to a local and island-born person, before he settles his feet down on the side of the bed. He glances quickly to the door before he stretches his hand under the bed, sighing in relief when he feels his bag in the same spot as it had been the night before. He can't be at fault for not trusting these people so soon.

He settles back on the bed with a sigh. He can't imagine everyone on the island being as friendly do him as Beth or the three guys from last night. People are going to be hesitant of him or downright hateful in some cases because he had gotten there if they had already built new lives for themselves and Kurt can slide right in without the labor or years of solitude. It's going to lead to isolation from everyone until he learns their trust. He hopes though that he'll be received warmly as someone who's in the same situation as them and as someone that can hopefully help bring something to better the society.

His mind kicks into high gear when he sees the doorway move and Puck steps in. They both take a second to take in each other. He notices that Puck looks that same as he did last night, but now he's able to take in how tan the boy actually is along with how tired he looks. Kurt has to keep reminding himself that Puck along with the other students were pretty much sophomores in high school when they crashed. The boy's clean shaven, but has stubble along his jaw. Kurt glances away once he realizes that Puck has his shirt off, sweat already glistening on his chiseled body.

"Sorry, dude." Puck apologizes as he makes his way over to his bed, grabbing his shirt from atop the blanket. "It's insanely hot out here in the afternoon. Gotta stay cool and stuff."

"It's fine." Kurt shakes his head with a smile before he stops. "Evening? How long have I been sleeping?"

Puck chuckles as he pulls his shirt over his shoulders and looks to Kurt. "It'll be dark in a few hours, so rather long. But don't worry, dude." Puck grins at Kurt as he sits down on the edge of his own bed. "You're safe for the most part. I've kept everyone away from you so you could rest before you become the social pariah." he then sighs, running his hand across his face. "So . . . how'd you sleep? I know this isn't the best bed since it was made for . . . someone smaller, but I hope that it worked."

"It did." Kurt quickly nods. "It was more than fine. I thought I'd either spend the night sinking in water or on a cold ship. This is definitely the better option over those two."

Puck nods, his face slightly pale as he struggles to come up with his next words. "I . . . you . . . our 'leader" he raises his hands to make quote marks with his fingers. "Of sorts would like to talk to you. Before you do anything else or talk to anyone else. She'd like to get your story, ask questions, just to do everything she can before she . . . releases you into the public." He chuckles at Kurt's dropped jaw. "She's not serious. She just has a weird sense of humor, which might take you a while to get used to. But she wants to talk to you and then talk to everyone else. She'll probably tell everyone to leave you alone as you'll be with me or her most likely for a bit. Or Sam." Puck adds in an afterthought. "You don't mind that do you? We just want to be able to . . . I guess guide you around here. We don't really have jobs exactly, but most people have something that they usually do. Obviously you won't have to do anything, but we'll be here to just tell you about everyone and stuff like that. She wants to just make sure that you have an easy slide-in to everything so you don't seem like an outcast or something like that."

Kurt freezes; his worst fears being pointed out and having the attempt to be fixed. He's oddly flattered that their leader wants to incorporate him into their society with ease, but that makes his suspicions rise on why this is needed unless some of the inhabitants are, for the lack of a better word, scary. He's tempted to reach back and touch his gun to make sure it's there, one that he's only practiced shooting a few times, but holds it back and meets Puck's gaze. He can see the boy is trying to help, but this situation is so rare and unheard of before that it's hard to tell how this will go. It seems that everyone will try to help him adjust quickly and they won't prevent him from fixing his own ship if he wants to. He's happy that he has this freedom and sanctuary, but the whole crashing onto an island of previous ship crash victims is still clouding his rational thought.

"Yeah." Kurt says slowly as he shakes his head hesitantly. "That sounds . . . surprisingly nice and easy. It's a giant relief actually." Kurt lets out a shaky breath as he leans his face down into his hands, relieved not even describing how he feels. "Oh god."

Kurt feels the events of the last day hit him: leaving his family, trying to steer an out of control ship, crashing, and then hiking with a bunch of random strangers to a miraculous civilization. He counts up how many times he could have died, the different ways from drowning in the icy water to possible crashing into the cliff and getting smashed into all the sharp edges of the interior part of the ship. He had just taken one of most dangerous journeys of his life and he was expecting only a smooth journey. Nature had definitely tried to kill him tonight, but he had been lucky to rely on his quick thinking to avoid the cliff in the end. Maybe that would help him get off this island instead of becoming a permanent fixture.

He looks up when he feels a hand on his shoulder, finding Puck staring down at him with a sympathetic smile. "It's okay, dude. If anyone understands what you're going through here, it'd be us. It was a wreck here after-" Puck laughs as he removes his hand from Kurt's shoulder and takes a seat next to him on Beth's bed. "An emotional wreck I mean. People were everywhere, starting fights, becoming desperate. It was completely insane. It took us a few weeks to get everyone off the ship. They didn't care that it was sinking and cracking; probably was going to start falling apart from all the damage, which it did eventually. The rest of us were scrounging everything we could with the beds and food and to get them all on the island before the boat sank. Sue, that's our leader." He quickly adds when Kurt raises an eyebrow. "She took charge rather quickly and everyone quickly followed. She controlled our school with an iron fist, so she did the same here. The other passengers that weren't from our school followed her as well. She's . . . she's the only reason that we're still functioning, that the fighting stopped and that we live as close to a civil society as possible."

"She sounds . . . I'm glad that you guys were able to sort everything out." Kurt quickly nods as he turns his head to look at Puck. "I don't know. I know you guys can relate to me, but it's not about that. It's . . . my whole life has pretty much been a hell pit of loneliness. I came out onto my boat for an adventure, for some freedom. I didn't expect to find myself marooned on a damn island. Or even fighting for my life." Kurt lets out a shaky breath. "It's just not the way I expected things to go. I was so happy to get out of college, away from my family and all the people that wanted to be my friends for random things. But now . . . what chance in hell do I have of getting off of this place. No offense to you guys and what you've done here, but I can't be here. I can't be around people who will again judge me on where I come from, or what I look like."

Kurt finds himself letting out a shaky breath, completely frustrated and the energy gone from him from this built up energy. He just had to get it out, even if it was jumbled pieces from the different parts of his consciousness, and to the wrong person. Puck doesn't deserve this anymore than he deserved to be marooned himself. He goes to turn to look at the boy again, to apologize, but he stops when Puck squeezes down on your shoulder.

"Don't apologize, Kurt. I want you to trust me, as I said before. So anytime that you want to rant, or you want to yell, come to me." Puck offers. "Besides my-" Puck stops himself with a shaky breath. "There's only one person here that I let them be just them with me. I'll let you be that with me. I know what you're going through, and I . . . I don't want people taking advantage of you here. It's bound to happen sooner or later and I don't want that. You seem like an honest guy, a nice guy. Something this bad shouldn't become something that corrupts you. So . . . trust me. And I'll trust you too."

Kurt sighs before giving the boy a sad smile. "I'll try. I honestly will."

"Well good." Puck's grin grows a bit wider. "Because you'll most likely be bunking with me since everywhere else is full. Besides, I kind of need a new friend that . . . you're not that sporty are you?"

Kurt snorts and is relieved at the tease. "No. I'm not really. I'm an indoors type of person."

Puck snorts. "Well you won't get much of that anywhere, but I'm happy to have one of those sappy friends I can talk to. Sam's the most gullible person ever and will tell anyone anything if they guilt or trick him into it. And Mike, well he's quiet, but he tells everything to his girlfriend and she tells anyone everything."

Kurt chuckles. "Alright. I can . . . be the guy you talk to." He bites his lip as he looks away, slowly feeling better and somewhat connected to Puck. "So what else do I need to know?"

* * *

Sorry for the late update guys. I'm working on many stories at once as well as personal stuff, but I hope to have another chapter up soon. So let me know what you think. :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Desolate Blue**

**Author: **GleekShip

**Spoilers:** AU. Only certain pairings still exist.

**Summary: **Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.

**Pairings: **Kurt/Puck

**Desolate Blue**

To say that Kurt was intimidated by one Sue Sylvester would be the understatement of the most recent millennium and the three preceding ones, as he is feeling the cool traces of dread flow through his veins. After being carefully led from Puck's place, Sam had joined them as well after Puck and he had had their talk followed by an unbearable silence, he had to weave and hide behind trees and giant rocks that were located around the village during the unfortunate chances that a person came across their path. Puck seemed very adamant about keeping Kurt in the dark to the public until they had talked to Sue, or at least until the increasing chances of them getting caught would occur. Thankfully Sue had her own cottage of sorts, although it was much bigger and more detailed in its architecture, which was settled back into a small cove of trees. The inside has had much more work than Puck's small hut had received and was full to the brim with various objects from the ship. It would seem more like an office if it wasn't for the bed and hanging sheet that was used as a divider in the corner. He had expected nonetheless when as soon as Puck had introduced him and he had stated his name, Sue had only commanded him to sit and tell his story.

He was now in the same chair, a beech chair that had been salvaged from the remains of the ship, as he had been for an hour as Sue goes between moments of silence to think about Kurt's arrival on the island, verses telling him about the workings of the government that she has created. It's more or less of the kind of government that he had expected, she has ultimate control. Everyone else has their daily duties that utilize their talents to help the society move, such as the strongest guys who know how to hunt, do the hunting, while the weakest ones, as Sue puts it, might as well put their frail bodies to making them a frail meal from the rations of the day. It reminds him of a TV show or two with the way things are operated, but he thinks that it would be the most realistic way to go instead of everyone fighting for survival until one only remained after they had flipped out in paranoia resulting in the death of everyone else.

Kurt blinks out of his thoughts to find Puck now with Sue, by her surprisingly big desk that looks to have been the Captain's table at one point from their ship, whispering in hushed tones. Kurt shifts and sits up slightly before he glances to his left to Sam. The boy gives Kurt a grin before shifting his own chair a few inches over to settle down next to Kurt. That's all he does and Kurt finds comfort in that silence, a moment to breathe in his thoughts with possible support if needed. It's only been a day since he's first crashed and he can already tell that Sam and Puck are most likely going to be his friends, not because they were the first people that he's met since being here, but because they're both actually being very genuine and concerned with his situation instead of prying and condescending. He doesn't know how the rest of this society will react to him, although he doubts he'll be everyone's favorite, but he doubts that he'll have any connection to him. He's been lucky and surprised to find two guys that fit his high schools Neanderthal stereotype that have no problem with his 'effeminate' look as he's been told for years. He's just happy that these people look at more than an exterior package, although he's proud that he doesn't look prepubescent anymore thanks to gym usage and plenty of sun.

"Alright, Mr. Hummel." Kurt looks up as Sue moves to tower over him. "Seeing as this is both an awkward situation and a nigh impossible one, we have to deal with this delicate matter rather efficiently. Lucky for you, I have a plan that might just work as long as Spongebob Blondepants-" She motions to Sam with a smirk. "And Patrick Tan over here-" She nods to the boy who's rolling his eyes next to her. "Do their jobs right, you'll be left alone for a bit. I'm going to have them advise everyone that we do indeed have someone here, but they are to leave you alone. I will be personally escorting you to a safe location. In a few hours, or as I see fit, you will be released into our public domain. I have enough control here to guarantee that the most you will receive from anyone today are a bunch of glances and the occasional bad breath of a whisper as you walk through. Congrats, kid. You're a celebrity here. So we're going to celebrate you tonight. Welcome you into the community and, well it's not really a party. The people here are so drained of modern day advancements, that we'll be having you update them. Please don't skip out on the fashion stuff either. I'm still trying to weed out the gays here." She narrows her eyes. "I need someone new to try target practice on and I am really hoping that that Chang boy is gay."

"That's an insulting stereotype towards the gay community." Kurt can't help but say; regardless of the looks he's getting for back-talking this quick-witted leader, so he continues on with a partial lie. "I know many buff and muscled guys that turn out to be gay and want nothing to do with fashion." He doesn't know them personally outside of magazines and a few TV shows, but they won't know that until they return to the modern world. "So please don't insinuate things that you have absolutely no idea of."

Puck is behind Sue, shaking his head violently with wide eyes while Sam is to his side trying to subtly shake his head without gaining notoriety from Sue, but failing. Sue however has her eyes darting all over Kurt: his unblinking eyes, his determined position and stance from his chair, the strong motivation and manipulating tone in his voice. Kurt can see that she seems to be beyond impressed as a slow smile creeps on her lips, the wrinkles on her face, which he vowed to never mention verbally, stretching into this unused position as she rarely gives anyone a genuine smile.

"Well, Hummel, I can see that we're going to be very good friends. You may even take over Graham's spot when it comes to helping out the weaklings that I have to deal with under my reign." Kurt's wide-eyed face goes unnoticed as Sue nods to herself and makes her way to the door of her small home. "Come on, Hummel." She suddenly stops and licks her lips, frowning. "Yep. You're gonna need a new nickname soon." She starts walking again.

As Kurt stands up, he finds Puck rushing to his side and giving him a gentle push. "You better hurry up. She doesn't wait for anyone and she'll yell at you even if you're not there for her to yell at."

"Where is she taking me?" Kurt asks in a hesitant voice as Puck guides him out of the small home in time to see Sue striding down the path to the village with her nose up, Sam on their tail.

"Graham." Puck answers as he speeds up their strides to match Sue's. "He was one of the other passengers on board. He's more or less of a counselor here. He's a pretty cool guy."

"And why do I need to go there?" Kurt asks as he feels anxiety slowly move through him.

"Because once Sam and I tell everyone about you, most people will be tempted to sneak around for a peak at you." Puck explains. "No one goes out to Graham's place because he keeps himself isolate for privacy. He still interacts with everyone; he just prefers to be alone."

Kurt slowly nods, unsure of this proposition. If Puck isn't objecting to the idea, then he feels much better although he'd rather be back at Puck's home. The thought of being relocated like this, to some strangers place as well, just didn't sit well with him. He could fight it, because after all he's allowed to do what he wants, but he's willing to go along if it means his transition into this place will be easier.

"Shoot." Kurt looks from the ground as they come to a stop.

He feels Sam stop behind them as Puck creates a fist against Kurt's back. Kurt looks up to find that Sue is ushering some blonde girl away, the blonde's eyes darting from Kurt to the close contact of Kurt and Puck back to Kurt with wide eyes. The girl's eyes are suddenly jerked away as Sue shoves her around a nearby group of trees.

"Shoot." Puck lets go of Kurt and starts walking towards Sue and the girl. "Wait for Sue here. We'll have to stop Quinn from doing anything stupid." He suddenly mutters to Sam.

Sam nods before rushing ahead of Puck to follow Sue, Puck following after a quick glance to Kurt. In moments, Kurt finds himself alone in the long path to Sue's home, the boys having already disappeared and no conversation from the group being heard. By the way that Sue, Puck, and Sam had reacted with that blonde girl, Quinn as Puck had called her, and he's more worried than relieved now that another person knows that he's here. Sue was more than thrilled with his arrival on the island, but that Quinn girl looked vicious at him. Kurt has to wonder as well if she was glaring at Puck like that, but he's starting to think that that is her usual look based on everyone reacting the same way. She's probably just a vindictive person and can't help the look that she presents to the average person.

"Come on, Mr. Hummel." Kurt snaps out of his gaze to find that Sue is now waiting for him at the end of the path, the other three no longer in sight. "Move it. We don't have all day and we don't want to risk another lifeless skeleton here finding you too soon. I like things going to plan and you will not mess that up today."

Kurt sighs as he slowly approaches the woman. "Does it not bother you that this is all new to me? That my life has pretty much been hell for the past 24 hours. Don't I get a break?"

Sue meets his eyes, her own unwavering while Kurt's feels like they're about to burst in some random emotion. He's just too tired to deal with this; he needs the time for his mind to wrap around everything. Sue sighs before she steps up to stop in front of Kurt's position, her eyes softening when Kurt's body tenses.

"Listen, kid. I run this place with a firm fist because this is what's needed." She lets out a shaky breath before continuing. "Look at you now. With one look, I can see that you feel like breaking down and crying. I . . . we can't have everyone crying here. We need everyone surviving. So yes, I am worried about you, but I'm also doing my best to provide a safe place for you. The best thing to do is to keep moving forward until somehow, we manage to reach a day where taking a break and crying is okay. Now." Sue clears her throat, straightens her form, and sets her old glare back into place. "Enough sob stories now. We are on a mission and we need to go. Now follow."

Kurt is left staring at the back of Sue for a few seconds before he gulps and quickly follows, not wanting to get left behind or lost out here. He's left with growing admiration and curiosity for the woman, one who will stand strong even though she seems to be hurting inside but isn't afraid to have one moment of emotion. He honestly didn't expect this from a ruthless leader who helped get the island into shape in less than a week, or the woman that has led children, literally, into thriving and strong adults that are able to live on an island. They've had their youth taken from them and Sue had managed to turn them into better adults than they would have turned out from living in a normal society. Here, they've learned to survive with a minimal and limited amount of resources compared to a society where you can find anything that you want if you actually got up to look for it.

Kurt looks up in time to see Sue turn along a steep hill, a rocky cliff on the edge of the rising ground, going higher. He can now see that village, busy now that it's bright outside. There's a beauty of sorts to it; a small wooden-made village below, the sun glistening off of the crafted rooftops with the ocean at its feet, only broke by a few patches of trees. He can see people moving from one place to another, un-phased by his arrival. He can see that in the middle of the group of homes, there's a giant circle set aside, most likely for this celebration of sorts that Sue has planned. The sight itself is a miracle to see, that is if you were to put aside the back story.

"Keep up, Hummel." Kurt finds himself stumbling away from the edge of the rising cliff to focus back on Sue, the woman moving faster than he since he slowed down to see the view.

He quickens his pace until he's right behind the blonde woman. "So how many people are living here?"

"Roughly thirty." Sue chirps out. "I've lost count after all this time. Only a few are deemed worthy of my attention. I leave Puck and Graham to worry about the rest."

"And you guys all came from the same high school?" Kurt inquires.

"Not at all." Sue shakes her head. "When the boat was reserved and I was forced to go on this trip as chaperone, we were stuck with three groups. The gleeks, the jocks, and the people that could afford a trip and get out of school for a week. Unfortunately for us, the jocks at our school had died out the year previous and we had to open slots. So instead of strong people that could help me cultivate this place, we got a team of skinny guys and girls. Nothing that benefits me, but they fit in with the gleeks so they have their own thriving friendships."

Kurt's mind starts racing, enjoying this new information that he's receiving from the woman. It's slight variations from Puck's answers, but he likes her version better. Puck seems to be a normal person while Sue, although she does have emotions, seems to be able to turn hers off and look at the world with fresh, and judgmental, eyes. In a way, he thinks that being more like her at first would help him see things right when he's here. He needs to keep his emotion out so he can observe everything first.

"Now your schedule for the day, Hummel." Kurt strolls up to Sue's side so they can maintain the conversation, or at least her speech to him. "You will stay with Graham for the next few hours. Don't worry, he won't bite. He'll most likely observe and get you to talk about your feelings." Sue's nose crinkles. "That should give me ample time to calm down the civilians and warn them to stay away from you until night fall. So you'll roughly have an hour to roam free without worry of approach. You're welcome for that." She glances to Kurt before she looks back to the path. "You can have Puck show you around during that time. If there is any problems with anyone, don't let him hide that person because he feels guilty or inclined to protect them. You will inform me of their name and/or description if you are not aware of the name. We have rules and these rules work when everyone abides by them."

"You actually punish people?" Kurt's eyes widen. "I don't-"

"It's nothing physical or damaging so don't you worry." Sue turns her glare on him. "Just extra jobs to do. Everyone does their regular part, but doing a bit more doesn't kill anyone. Luckily enough for us, we haven't really had any big trouble-makers. The thieves learned not to steal from our rations early on."

Kurt gulps, not really wanting to know how those guys were dealt with. Sue seems to be flattered at Kurt's lack of response and silences her own voice to focus on leading Kurt up the increasingly difficult path. He's curious as to why someone would want to be isolated this far back, and how many injuries there were with all of these rocks and brush on the side. That on top of Graham being referred to as one of the three leaders of this community is making this little venture a rather interesting one.

Sue suddenly stops and turns. Kurt turns away from the thickening path to find a small niche in a wall of trees, wide enough for two people to walk through together. Down the short path is a rather small hut, but big enough for one to live comfortably. Sue raises an eyebrow at Kurt before marching up and knocking on the door.

* * *

Hey guys, sorry for the late chapter. I've hope you've enjoyed Sue's introduction along with small tidbits about the island. Let me know what you think. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Desolate Blue**

**Author: **GleekShip

**Spoilers:** AU. Only certain pairings still exist.

**Summary: **Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.

**Pairings: **Kurt/Puck

**Desolate Blue**

Graham was certainly not the character that Kurt had expected him to be or the person that he had hoped the man to be. The man was an absolute enigma as he stood to the side so he could observe Kurt with a twinkling smile and amused eyes. He had stayed in his standing position next to his bed ever since Sue had left them there with a snort at the silence that had befallen them. She had only barked out "This is Kurt. He's marooned here like us." followed by a few minutes of hushed conversation between the two.

Within the time that Sue had left, Kurt had somehow become more comfortable. He didn't know if it was the seemingly amused nature that Graham had, but it was something. He now had one leg crossing the other and his arms crossed over his chest while he let his eyes observe the room. He had looked back at Graham several times, but with each time he found his gaze locked with the observant eyes they'd enter into a staring contest until the corner of Graham's mouth turned up into a smile.

The small house around him was quite small, apparently built around the trees as they were in the dirt floor and the small windows had a tree going through half of it. Other than that, the room only has one of the mattresses from their crashed ship and a small trunk tucked away at the head of it and in the corner. The chair that Kurt sat in couldn't even be included in the room since it wasn't a chair, but a tree stump that Sue had pulled from the nearby patch of trees before leading Kurt in. Even though it was cramped, the small room had a homely feeling that made him feel extremely comfortable, although that could also be applied to the person that he had been introduced to. Kurt chuckles at the idea that an actual person could be a source of comfort as he's never experienced or found someone like that.

The chuckle causes the first movement that Kurt had seen in quite some time. Graham is full on grinning as he slides to his side and flops down on his bed, his feet quickly going under him as he sits Indian style. He leans forward with a wide grin and licks his bottom lip as he watches Kurt.

"How are you feeling?"

Kurt's entire face drops at the question, going completely jaw-slack because that was one thing that he would never expect from anyone for a while; let alone their first time meeting him. He had been expected a life story, or a question about his brief and disastrous voyage, but not this. He first recognizes the thick accent and his ears perk up at the foreignness. This was the bit of culture that he was hoping to experience in his voyage; extremely happy that he's at least getting some culture apart from being marooned. Kurt can't help as the question sets in that a snort rips itself from his body.

Graham grins wider as Kurt brings his hand to cover his mouth and nose at the habit that he didn't like of himself. "Are you serious?" Kurt asks through his grin. "That's your actual question? No joke?"

"No joke." Graham nods as the small smile on his face turns into a smirk. "Why does that surprise you?"

"Because I didn't expect such a normal question over one that would be much more interesting to you." Kurt chuckles.

"I find it quite interesting in how you are feeling." The man smiles. "That shows what kind of person you are. Especially after the, as you call it, interesting part."

Kurt smiles at the quick wit of the man, feeling more comfortable by the minute. "Okay." Kurt decides to ask his own questions first. "What I'm interested in now is where you're from? You're accent is too thick to have come from a Midwestern state. So where?"

"Where is a relative term that does not apply to your situation." Graham states with a smile before he cocks his head slightly. "But to answer your question, I am not from the Midwest. I was recruited by Sue and her school to be a consultant and translator during their trip. Not that they needed a translator, but I was able to provide insight into many cultures that they would have encountered in their travels." Graham chuckles. "To be honest, I still don't understand what their trip was about. I've never met a school that would let children travel without any point to it apart from one small singing competition. Seems a bit strange."

"Well have you met Sue?" Kurt chuckles before he sighs. "Although you didn't answer my question, I like what I got from you."

"Now what do I get from you?" Graham asks as he leans forward, his eyes narrowing slightly with interest.

Kurt sighs before settling back in the chair, suddenly tired of the back and forth and feeling slightly disturbed. "Okay. I . . . I am feeling content. I've accepted my situation, and I know I can't really do anything about it, so I'm content. I'm still a bit fearful of what might happen when people . . . when people know of me, but I seem to have a small support system so far from the people I've met. That's helpful I guess. I'm not used to this kind of support." Kurt glances up to Graham and gives him a weak smile. "I'm sorry. This wasn't meant to be a counseling session, but . . ." Kurt stops when Graham's smile quivers slightly. "Is that how you intended things to go?"

"I was curious." Graham answers with a shrug. "It is intriguing. I know almost everything about everyone on this island. Only a few things that people have kept well-covered have escaped me, but . . . for all intents and purposes I am someone to talk to. People need to talk, especially for grief and acceptance."

Kurt slowly nods. "Was this your career where you were before all of this?"

Graham smiles. "Are you nervous about meeting everyone? This will be quite an endeavor for you to go through."

"I'm sure I can handle it." Kurt's confident voice leaves no room for question. "Not that you need to know, but I've had plenty in my life that I've been able to overcome and handle. I'm not some weakling, despite appearances."

"And I would never insinuate anything as such." Graham smiles. "But I am glad that you have confidence. That will help you here."

Kurt smiles briefly before his thoughts drift back to the only person that might cause him a problem here. "You said you know everyone, correct?"

Graham slowly bows his head at the question. "As much as one can know them when the society of their containment will allow."

Kurt's eyes go out of focus for a second as his curiosity rises at the wording, but he shrugs it off and brings the blonde person to the front of his mind. "On our way over here, Sue had to stop and make this blonde girl go away."

Graham seems very intrigued as he sits forward and lets his tongue run across the top set of his teeth in a thoughtful matter. "Well there are a few blondes, but only one could cause trouble that I can think of. Who was next to you?"

"Puck." Kurt quickly answers.

Graham takes in a quick breath of air as he sits back, his thoughts being confirmed by Kurt. "That would be our lovely resident Quinn. I guess I should warn you about her in advance. She has quite a temper. And several control issues." Graham adds in an afterthought. "Sue and I were always sure that she was the one to instigate trouble or to manipulate things, but we were never able to prove it." He glances to Kurt at this point. "This stays between us. Sue will kill me if our speculations were to reach anyone."

"Mum's the word." Kurt mutters as he sits forward.

Graham gives Kurt a half-nod before his eyes drift away and he returns to his thoughts. "Quinn . . . she is a very difficult person. Like I said, she likes to manipulate. And she doesn't like to as she calls them, her possessions, to be touched. Unfortunately she includes Puck in that category. Even though she doesn't know who you are, I expect that you'll be getting an earful from her sooner or later. Puck is her prized possession."

"Why?" Kurt inquires. "Are they . . . you know. Together?"

Graham snorts. "God no. That boy won't even go near here." Graham grins as he looks to Kurt. "From what I've been told, they knew each other in high school. Both popular, both got everything that they wanted . . . except she didn't get him. All I know is that she plays up being his friend in the hopes that one day love will blossom in his heart."

Kurt looks confused for a second. "That sounds sweet, but it also sounds unstable."

Graham chuckles and nods. "I know Puck has no feelings for her. He doesn't have feelings for anyone here."

"What about Beth?" Kurt asks.

Graham's eyes widen as he pulls a double-take at Kurt. "How do you know about her?"

"I kind of met her this morning." Kurt admits.

Graham smirks. "That girl is clever, but yes. She is the only one that Puck loves. It's his daughter after all. Quinn will try to act like her mother, but I don't even think Beth likes her." He snaps his head to look at Kurt. "Why are we even talking of this? What's with the questions about Puck?"

Kurt sits back, feeling like he had just stepped on someone's toes. "I'm sorry. He's just the only decent human being that I've met and-" Kurt stops and shakes his head. "Not the only . . . decent human being. But I've actually held several conversations with him since meeting. One with Sam, Sue, and now you. I'm just trying to say that he's . . . I don't know. He's talked to me. He's been nice."

"He's being human." Graham mutters as his eyes move down in thought, but he quickly clears his throat. "Just beware of Quinn. Sue and I can run interference with her, but she's a slippery one. I'll let Puck know as well. We shouldn't try to endanger you anymore than you already are with everything. It's going to be a big adjustment for you now that we want to integrate you here."

"What would you do if I didn't want to be integrated?" Kurt asks quickly.

"We'd leave you out there to die." Graham shrugs with his quick response. "As much as we know what you're going through and we want to help, we won't force. This is part of our values as we try to retain our human characteristics instead of devolving into cannibalistic nature. We are simply a unit of people trying to stay human. This is why we have laws, get along. If we are to allow chaos, we let ourselves slip out of human nature and into abomination."

Kurt raises his eyebrows, impressed at the choice words, but he has his own thoughts. "Psych major."

"It was one of my studies." Graham smiles. "You're quick-witted. I like that."

"It's self-defense." Kurt boasts with pride. "I wouldn't be able to survive with out it."

"Then adapt it to here." Graham states firmly. "Who know? Maybe you'll be the one that manages to get us all off of this wasteland."

Kurt cracks a smile. "That'd be nice. Almost like a dream, which is what I had hoped this would be until I woke up today."

"Dream or not . . . blend in. This will make people accept you easier rather than treat you like a creep." Graham sits forward, his posture and tone becoming serious. "This is new for everyone, but like we have for all these years, we adapt. I'm sure you will too."

Kurt gives the man a weak smile before he looks out the front door and into the forest, wanting to talk about something new. "So why here? Why not be closer to everyone?"

"I was never one for interaction. I keep to myself. I've lived a life of solitude long before I met anyone here." Graham keeps his tone soft. "I do interact, but they come here. To me, I am safest here. I'm surrounded on all sighs with natural shields. It's also hard to find me unless you know where to look. They all know I'm out here, but very few know where."

"Okay." Kurt says slowly as he tries to think of some questions to pass time. "So what kind of . . . what kind of society is there here? I assume there's not a jail, so how do you deal with people?"

"Exile." Graham shrugs.

Kurt looks back with wide eyes, but finds Graham grinning. Kurt isn't sure if he's enjoying the mans personality or questioning it from the sudden switches. There's certainly a story there that he's dying to find out. That's been one of his problems. To avoid people that wanted him for money or to torture, for the lack of a better word, he had had plenty of time to observe. Just on those observations he had become a small detective when it came to personalities. This grew, however, over time because he loved learning. From the way that Graham is becoming distant and lost in his own thoughts to smiling and laughing made Kurt think that the man was either hiding something or knew something. At least it'd give him something to do here until he could figure out his place.

"But mainly chores." Graham continues on. "We've never had anyone try to do anything too severe. Our crime rate is low. I would like to think that it's all thanks to Sue, but, and don't let her know I said this, but it's those high school kids. Well not high school anymore, but them in general. They all knew each other before this so there was a sense of camaraderie. They may have disliked one another then, but that knowledge of who everyone was I think helped. I mean we have a few people such as myself that came to the ship for reasons other than a high schools way of fun, but the idea is still there for the most part."

"Where you ever afraid of them?" Kurt asks softly.

Graham shrugs and looks back to Kurt. "That doesn't matter. I know what I am now and being afraid has nothing to do with it." He suddenly breaks out of the eerie look about him and smiles at Kurt. "You know, you're very good at distracting me. You really should stop that."

"I'm just getting a feel for my surroundings." Kurt defends himself with a smile.

"You-" Graham stops and looks to his door. "Come in, Puck."

Kurt turns his head to find Puck slowly moving into the small home, his eyes averted from the two men. "Sue said that Kurt can come back to my place for a bit. We're going to have a celebration tonight. She wants to know if you want to come." He asks Graham.

Graham smiles as he stands up, a smile growing on his face as he moves slowly towards Puck. "I believe I shall."

"Be there at sunset then." Kurt frowns at the nervous smile that Puck gives Graham, confused by it. "Come on then, Kurt."

The smile is back, making Kurt eve more flummoxed as he stands up. "Thank you." He turns to Graham. "You've been very insightful."

"Good luck, Mr. Hummel." Graham mock bows at Kurt as he pats both Kurt and Puck on the shoulders at the same time. "I'm sure you've been told this by this man here and Sue, but do come to me if you're having any problems. This is a unique circumstance and I don't want to see it tampered with."

"Thank you." Kurt smiles to the man. "I'll try and come back up here once in a while. I'm sure we'll be having some unique-" Graham chuckles at Kurt's repeat of his word. "Conversations."

"Until then." Graham bows his head one last time before he removes his hands from the two men in front of him and steps back.

Kurt looks to Puck to find the boy motioning for Kurt to go out first. Kurt nods before he steps out, wincing slightly at the sudden spike of heat. He only goes a few steps before Puck is back at his side like the night before, a protective vibe resonating from him.

"So . . . how'd you like Graham?" Puck asks as they step out of the slim opening of the trees to be on the path back to their society.

Kurt licks his lips, trying to think of the best way to describe it. "I wouldn't say awkward, but there was definitely some of that there. I know he didn't act like he was surprised and dumbfounded that I had miraculously crashed here, but I'm sure he was."

"He's very good at hiding things like that." Puck comments before he glances down at Kurt. "Sorry for pushing you onto him. I would have let you come back to my place sooner, but Sue thought it would be a good idea to have you with Graham first." Puck explains. "She trusts him. I mean she trusts me, but he's better at reading people. I'm only good at analyzing certain things about people."

Kurt nods, returning to his thoughts. He's still waiting for something bad to happen to him after all of the luck he's had so far. It's just logic for something bad to happen. Something about nature. And now he has all of this information within such a short amount of time, and he's not sure what to do with it. He can't even go back to his room to think, or to sleep. He can't do that here. He has to adapt, as he's been told.

Kurt breaks from his thoughts and looks to Puck. "So what next?"

* * *

Sorry for the late chapter. Had a bit of a plot point that I had to fix with this chapter. Let me know what you thought of it. :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Desolate Blue**

**Author: **GleekShip

**Spoilers:** AU. Only certain pairings still exist.

**Summary: **Young and fresh college graduate Kurt Hummel decides to head out onto the open waters of the world for a culture experience that he'll never forget.

**Pairings: **Kurt/Puck

**Desolate Blue**

Kurt can slowly feel consciousness return to him along with a small amount of dim light. Along with that, he has a flood of memories return to him in rapid speed. Most of them make him smile but he still holds some worry. It was a long night after all.

He and Puck had walked side by side, each having no need for conversation due to the comfortable pace that they had set with each other. Only when they got closer to the mini-society had things started to become a bit more stressful. Puck had moved closer to Kurt and had walked slightly ahead of him as if he was ready to guard him at a moments notice. He had even places a hand on Kurt's shoulders once the area of houses had entered their eye sight down the dirt path.

"Just try and keep your cool." Puck mutters as he prepares himself for introducing Kurt. "Imagine this is like high school. Be yourself."

"I got beat up in high school for being myself." Kurt admits as his eyes flick to the ground.

Puck suddenly stops them and turns to face Kurt. "Look . . . I'm sorry that you had to go through that. No one really should ever have to. But you have one thing here that no high school will ever have for you."

"What?" Kurt asks weakly as he crosses his arms.

"You have me." Puck says softly and waits for Kurt to look at his smile. "And you have the element of surprise and information. People are going to want to know what's going on in the outside world. You have that advantage. Cater to what they ask. If you don't know, guess. Now I know it seems weird to more or less cheat them out of the truth, but this will help you gain friends. The best way to live here is in peace. You need friends for that. You need people on your side."

Kurt groans and shuts his eyes. "I wish this was all a dream. Or that I had landed on an empty island. I'm not one for conforming myself to fit other peoples standards. I can't do that. I'd rather go back to my boat and die in peace."

Puck stares at him for a second before nodding. "Alright then. Go."

"What?"

"Well it's not like I told you to conform. I told you to be yourself and to guess." Puck frowns at Kurt. "I'm trying to make this easy for you without changing you. I could easily tell from our first conversation that you weren't the type of person to conform. So I'm trying to help you. I would never tell you to be anyone other than who you are. I'm doing the best that I can here to help you survive this place. Otherwise yes, you will die. There are dangerous animals here that you don't know how to hunt. If you think you can make it on your own without the help of people, go. Go be alone and refuse the help and friendship that I'm giving you."

Kurt brings his eyes up to meet Puck's and is surprised to see determination and anger in them. Puck's glare is on the verge of overpowering Kurt's own gaze to where he wants to look away, but he doesn't. In only a few days, he has grown so much respect for the man in front of him. He could see that Puck means well, but . . .

"I've gone my entire life being alone." Kurt states firmly even though he's shaking with fear on the inside. "I've always learned. Why is it so different now?"

"Because this is real life." Puck growls. "This isn't high school or college. Money doesn't work here. Here, we rely on each other's word. Their promise. That's the value here. We work together to hunt down the means to survive. And you just said that you learned." Puck spits Kurt's words back at him. "That's here. So what's really-?"

"I'm scared." Kurt all but yells as he drops his arms from his chest and his hands ball into fists. "I am beyond terrified of going in there. That's when this becomes real. I don't want you be a part of some island group. I want to be at home. I want to go back to ignoring my family and doing what I want. I don't want this. I . . . I didn't ask for this." Kurt's voice is weak and broken by the end as the energy drains from him.

Puck gives him a sad smile before he moves forward and wraps his arms firmly around Kurt, giving the boy a squeeze in an attempt to comfort him. "You have no reason to be afraid. I promise that I'll protect you. No one is going to say or do anything to you that will make you upset. That's one thing I can promise you, Kurt."

The two had stayed close after the hug, although it wouldn't be noticed in any normal circumstance. He had kept his arm swinging within in inch of Puck's with his body brushing up against his own arm, uncaring that he occasionally brushed his arm with the tan muscle next to him. The warm heat combined with the heartfelt words from Puck has Kurt feeling like this was the perfect position for him at that moment; it was the perfect position for him to feel safe.

Although seeing everyone for the first time and everyone seeing him for the first time had the nervousness spread all around, he quickly forgot that in exchange before being social and engaging the entire time. It was very rare for him to receive any sort of attention such as this, particularly positive, so he found himself receiving it with grace and he even started enjoying it. He would go to thank Puck for being at his side later on, but in that moment he felt himself thinking that this won't be as bad as he had previously thought. He doesn't seem to have any hostility being aimed at him for being this new arrival, apart from these weird glances he was getting from Quinn throughout the night.

It had only taken a minute after everyone started talking loudly at Kurt's first appearance before Sue had taken Kurt with a hard grip by his wrist to the front of the group where a stump was. Kurt had quickly realized that this entire set-up has been established for a long time for what seemed to be a regular campfire night. Three were spread out between him and this large group of people that made a semi-circle on the other side and almost to his side. The only people that sat by him were Puck and Sue, everyone else compacting themselves away from him so they could judge from afar. Puck gives Kurt and encouraging smile before he scoots closer first to show support for Kurt, and second he rests his hand against Kurt's back, unseen in the darkness, to show Kurt his personal support.

Sue had decided that she would speak up then, which came out more as an order for people that she chose at random to introduce themselves for Kurt, and possibly Sue's benefit since she didn't seem to know their names prior. He had been introduced to a blur of names, only remembering them for something that made them stand out: Mercedes was the only dark-skinned woman on the island, Rachel was loud and talkative, Brittany was distracted a lot, Dave had a wondering eye about him when it came to Kurt, and Tenaka seemed to have an offending odor if people's twitching noses were anything to be based on. They were the five people that stuck out most to Kurt while everyone else were just normal people in a unique situation.

Sue had then turned the spotlight on him to tell them about himself: his college, growing up, and a bit about his family. He had kept each to a brief two sentences each before Sue had thankfully started barking out questions about what has changed since they've lost contact all those years ago. She had then opened up questions to everyone and he spent the next two hours talking about everything that he had knowledge of.

The main fascination for everyone was mainly in the entertainment world: sports and video games. His knowledge about that was beyond limited so with what he didn't know he made up. It doesn't matter because they had no way of knowing if he was lying or not, at least until they somehow got rescued, and he seemed to be doing a good job based on all of the satisfied smiles. Some of the girls had wanted to talk about the new fashion trends and although this was a subject Kurt was more familiar with, he didn't feel comfortable being fully submerged in the conversation since many people looked either bored or annoyed at the subject. He kept his comments brief and vague, but he slipped a few times on that as well when it came to talking about the newest line. Thankfully that was when Mercedes had jumped in and changed the subject to inventions, after which she gave Kurt a knowing smile.

Kurt blinks himself back to the present by wondering what time it was, knowing that he and Puck had left really late. He even remembers Puck sending Beth home long before they had left with someone else, he not knowing that Kurt already knows who she is. What he can't remember is why he feels someone holding onto him like he's the last piece of humanity left, which in some scenarios he can certainly see himself as such. He turns his head and his met with Puck's warm breath and a close up of the boys parted lips. With a glance up to see that his eyes are still shut, he glances down their close bodies in confusion. Puck has one leg tossed over Kurt's, but other than that and the vice-grip hug that he's in, nothing seems to be that out of the ordinary.

Kurt looks away from them to across the room and sees the bed that he had slept in the previous night and is surprised to find Beth resting there. He shuts his eyes and cocks his head slightly as he tries to remember, but he was so tired last night that the very last memory he has is Puck's arm wrapped around his waist as he supported Kurt up the long hill back to Puck's lone house.

Kurt sighs before he settles back down into Puck's hold; his only option left is to just wait this out. He's been lucky enough to have told Puck flat out that he's gay so hopefully the boy won't retaliate too badly, although Puck doesn't seem the type. Puck had a better sense of direction and awareness the previous night so he must have been aware of their position as they let the night befall them, right?

* * *

Kurt lets out a shaky breath as he stumbles from Puck's hut and brings his hands to his eyes to help with the sudden bright light blinding him in all directions. Luckily for him that the closer Puck's body prepares to wake, the limper he gets and the more he'll turn over to his side; which is what happened and allows Kurt to escape from the home. He's half happy and half worried about this being his first time being completely alone since he's arrived with no one guiding him around. His worry is slightly lessened once he thinks about the very menacing threat that Sue had issued out the night before about leaving him alone.

The path in front of Puck's home only goes out about ten feet before it drops off from a cliff, the person walking that path having to choose either right or left once leaving Puck's place. Kurt opts to stand on the edge and look out, seeing the mini-society below with the sun warm in the sky and the ocean full of blue vastness under it. Everyone seems to be getting a late start that day due to the celebration the previous night so Kurt's view is unbroken as he takes everything in.

Who knew that when he was panicking for his life as his ship spiraled out of control that he'd land here? Who knew that when he left to travel by sea and take in the sights that way, that he'd be standing in a civilization of people and be grateful to not be out there anymore? Who knew that being in a group of people that has no idea who he was allowed him to be completely and utterly himself without any ramifications? He's just astounded at how he has received the best possible situation from the worst outcome.

Only one thing continues to contemplate his mind: What about home? He had left so he could find himself and have a better understanding of anything that he could grasp, but is that what he's finding here? He's already felt much more happier just in the presence of Puck and the people of his community alone than he can ever remember feeling at home. Everyone at home was able to tell that he was gay from a young age and he had continued on with those people through high school, still judged for that. He had a better time fitting in at college and not being classified in the gay category that so many people deemed important, but Finn and one slip up to a person he thought he could trust had put him back in that category again. He doesn't know if he'll tell anyone here, but even with that one secret he still feels better.

This is the first time in a long time where he's been able to be alone and to just breathe in everything, to take it in. It feels nice to just shut his eyes . . . take in the sun and the warm breeze. He had a moment like this before he left; only days ago . . . and this feels so much better. He knows that this isn't just a quick trip like he had originally planned. That was the beauty of it. Just a moment like this was more than enough to make up for any worry that he had felt days ago.

With one final breath of the salty breeze, he opens his eyes and turns to face the path the leads the walked alongside the cliff until you reach the trees. He moves his eyes down the tree-line to where the path will come out and spots a familiar head of blonde hair. He smiles before he steps away from the cliff's edge and starts down the path. He feels slightly guilty for leaving Puck without a note or an indication of where he's gone, bur there's not much he can say or much where he can go. He'll find the boy later on and hopefully there won't be any misunderstandings.

Kurt is lucky to find that Sam is heading up the path as Kurt's heading down, saving him from possibly having a run-in encounter with the people of the island; he's not exactly ready for a one-on-one with any of them yet. It surprises Kurt that Sam is tugging along a giant man-made wheelbarrow, empty, and that he isn't breaking a sweat under the heat and weight of the wood yet.

"Sam." Kurt clears his throat as he stops on the side of the path to get the boys attention.

Sam blinks in confusion for a second before he looks around, a smile breaking on his face as soon as he sees Kurt and he lets the wheelbarrow drop to the ground as he approaching the boy. "Kurt." Sam seems to hesitate behind his smile as he tries to think of the best way to address everything without being tactless. "So are you enjoying the weather?"

Kurt's jaw drops for a second in surprise before his hand rushes to cover his face as he snorts loudly, much to Sam's amusement. "Wow." He continues to chuckle. "That is so . . . so-"

"Stupid?" Sam shrugs as his smile drops slightly. "I figured. I'm kind of known for not being the smartest."

"I was going to say normal." Kurt comments, happy when Sam's smile grows bigger. "Not stupid. I was just surprised that things could sound so normal when . . . this-" He shrugs as he gestures the environment around them. "Isn't normal."

"Well since it looks like you'll be here for awhile, it'll become normal." Sam gives Kurt a comforting smile at the mention of Kurt's status.

"I guess so." Kurt mutters under his breath before he looks to the wheelbarrow. "Where are you headed with that? Is there any way that I can help?"

"Nah." Sam shakes his head as he looks back to Kurt. "I was just going to go get the food that we caught the other night. With all of the excitement from yesterday, we forgot to bring it back down to be cut up. It kind of needs to be done today before it gets completely rotten."

Kurt's smile becomes guiltier with each word. "I'm so sorry for that."

"It's not a problem." Sam smiles. "We were technically hunting in your territory when we killed it so think of it as a penalty."

Kurt chuckles. "I guess I can live with that. If-" He adds quickly when Sam goes to say something else. "You let me load it up and haul it back down. Think of it as a show and tell situation for me since it doesn't look like you'll have free time to show me around."

Sam locks his jaw for a second to think about the proposition, but Kurt can see that the boy is already hooked with his idea and it's quickly confirmed when Sam smiles and nods. "Alright. Grab a handle then."

* * *

Hey guys, back with another chapter. I know many of you wanted to read Kurt's introductions with the other characters, but that would end up being 10 plus chapters with just dialogue and character introduction, which wouldn't really further the plot. As more characters come into play with the plot, you'll get more of a back story and introduction on them. So let me know what you think. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.


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